Leaving your heart behind
by Cosmik
Summary: Misty saw something that made her commit only to her carreer as a gym leader and Team Rocket is trying to steal Elite Four's pokémon... Mix humor (action just later) and here's my story! r
1. Prologue

Title: "Leaving your heart behind"

Summary: After seeing something that she wished not to have seen (it's not a crime or something like that… ^^), Misty decides to care only about her pokémon…If you mix humor, an unexpected romance (between Misty and… sorry, not telling ^^) and Team Rocket trying to steal Elite Four's pokémon (Misty will play an important role in here… that's why we have action and adventure… I'm not saying more, sorry! ^^) you have my fic! About the pairings… I don't know yet, you tell me in your reviews and I'll see that later!

Disclaimer: Surprise, surprise! I don't own pokemon! (Who didn't see that coming? -_-)

This is my second fic, so I just hope it is better than the second (I'll try to watch out for plot holes- thanks for the tip animorphs17- and try to put a bit more description)… Oh well, on with the story!

Prologue

"I haven't been with him for 5 years... I left to take over the gym temporarily, but I guess I was too good in this task…" Misty Waterflower smiled bitterly. She was in her bed, looking through the window and remembering all of the adventures she went through when she was younger.

It was late at night, probably way after dinner. Misty held the phone tight, while sighing sadly. Her sisters were probably taking sunbaths in Hawaii. Since she had done such a good job taking over the gym, her sisters decided that they should take a break. A really long one.

"I'm just sooo tired…" Misty moaned "Ten battles in one day, cleaning the arena, checking all the pools… I just want to sleep…" she mumbled.

But she couldn't fall asleep. Not yet, she had to talk to him…

The phone rang startling Misty. She quickly picked and answered it.

"Hi Misty! You won't believe what happened to me today!" an excited male voice said. 

"Hi Ash, and yes, I'm just fine thank you!" Misty replied sarcastically.

"Sorry Misty, you know I like to know how was your day…" Ash said embarrassed.

Misty could imagine him scratching the back of his head, ashamed by his behaviour… And that's why she started laughing out loud.

"What?" Ash asked confused.

"I would love to see your face Ash Ketchum… I was just teasing you! Come on, tell me how was you day!" Misty said smiling.

"Oh, you won't believe in me! I caught an amazing new pokemon that…" Ash started.

Misty leaned against her soft pillow and closed her eyes, trying to picture what Ash was saying. Just hearing his voice made her day worth. 

Although she was exhausted, she listened patiently, always with a sweet smile in her lips.

"That's great Ash!" she said to him, and then added sadly " I wish I could be there with you…"

"Oh, but… Hang on a sec…" Ash said  "Sorry, Brock is telling me to shut up…" 

Misty smiled  "Ok, go on then, you have to rest, with all those adventures and battles… Just… take care…" Misty said.

"Ok, we'll talk tomorrow. Bye!" Ash said.

"Kiss Brock for me!" Misty said.

"What?" Ash asked surprised " Hey Misty, I don't swing that way!" he added quickly.

"Oh god… You're so dense Ash Ketchum! I was just asking you to tell Brock that I said hi!" Misty said laughing.

"Oh, right… But you could tell me that right away!" he said angry.

"I didn't have to do that because I thought that you would understand me… But you are a dense boy Ash Ketchum, a very dense boy…" Misty teased.

"I am not!"

"Are too!" 

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am n… Hey Brock give me the phone!" Ash yelled.

"Misty, I'm really sorry to be interrupting your conversation, but it's already 12 pm in here and we need to sleep because we're leaving early tomorrow…" Brock said patiently.

"Sorry Brock, old habit… Well, sleep well, we'll talk tomorrow…" Misty apologized "Oh, and say hi to Max and May…" she added.

"Ok, I'll do that. Good night Misty… We miss you…" Brock said and we could still hear Ash's voice in the background.

"I miss you too…" Misty said and she hung up.

Sobs could be heard while Misty got up ad grabbed an old photo. It was a photo of her, Brock and Ash, in the Johto championships.

"I miss you guys so much…" she said in a muffled voice, looking at the photo. She looked at the clock: 2 am.

"I gotta have some sleep…" she said and lay down on her bed.

Looking at the ceiling, feeling the tears sliding down her soft cheeks, Misty remembered a very important day approaching…

"Ash's birthday is in 3 days! Oh God, I'm an awful friend, I almost forgot his birthday! I haven't got him anything! And worst, I won't be able to be with him in this important day! He's turning 18 and I'm not gonna be with him!" she opened a draw near her bed and grabbed a red cap… An old cap of Ash.

"I miss him so much… And Brock of course, I miss Brock too!" Misty added, blushing hard "I'm crazy… I'm talking to myself and I'm thinking that… That I like Ash Ketchum! It's insane…right?" she asked herself embarrassed.

"Stop it Misty Waterflower, you're just depressed and you're feeling alone, nostalgic… That's just it…" she reassured herself, although not completely believing.

"If I only get to visit him… Them, them!!!" she correct herself quickly, blushing hard again.

Misty thought about the gym and the many challengers that came everyday to battle with her, trying to win the Cascade Badge… She didn't even close the Gym at Weekend due to the quantity of trainers…

"Close the gym for 2 days… It's an appealing idea… Should I do it? Close the gym to see him…Them…" she added, while she played with her fingers.

"Just 2 days… Daisy, Lily and Violet always closed the gym for one or two days to go shopping… At least I have a good motive!" Misty said looking at her fingers.

"Yeah, that's it, I'm going to Houen to visit Ash! Ash and Brock, Misty, Ash and Brock…" she warned herself, while looked at her sheets, her face burning.

"Oh well, at least with my face hot as it is, the tears evaporated…" she said sarcastically and looked at her clock "Oh my god!!! It's almost 4 a.m and I have to be up at 7.30! I guess I have to plan all this tomorrow… Gotta talk with Brock to find exactly where they are and I have to warn the trainers…" Misty said as she got up and exit her room.

She went down the stairs towards the kitchen to grab a glass of milk. 

"Maybe it's better if I warned Nurse Joy and she'd tell the trainers…" her voice trailed off as she took a zip of milk.

"I guess I should…" a yawn was heard " oh, I'm sure I have to get some sleep…I'll plan this tomorrow…" Misty said went to her room.

That's it, my first chapter is done!

Please review, please! (look at readers with puppy dog eyes).

I'll try to update as soon as possible!

Oh and please, not flames, just constructive criticism!


	2. Hey, Surprise! Misty's broken heart!

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter one: "Hey, surprise! Misty's broken heart"

Disclaimer: Nop, I don't own pokémon, sorry to disappoint you… Don't own "The ring" too, ok?

Before the story…

Kantaris thank you so much for reviewing, I just hope you like this chapter!  ^^

"Ok, I've got exactly one day to plan this and another 2 days to get to Hoenn… And how exactly am I going to do that?" Misty asked herself while she looked at her breakfast: a cold toast and an empty glass of milk. "How long have I been here thinking? " she sighed deeply.

"Doesn't matter either! Humm… Less than two days to get to Hoenn… This isn't definitely a difficult mission, it's an impossible mission!" Misty smiled.

 "Well, and who's the best one to do such an heroic deed? I, Misty Waterflower, a fiery and amazing redhead that astonishes everyone with her amazing water pokémon!" she ended confidently.

"Now let's get to work! I'm gonna call Nurse Joy and ask her to warn the trainers that I'm closing the gym for 2 days, then I'm gonna find a way to get to Hoenn in time!" she got up quickly and went up the stairs to her room.

"Ash, don't worry, I'll be there for you like I've always have!" Misty said and blushed slightly.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

 After 9 battles, a whole day sighing and two entire ice cream boxes eaten, Misty was in her room, lying down on her bed.

"Right, Nurse Joy warned…" Misty said while she wrote down on her notebook.

"Trains checked…" she continued "All I have to do now is call Brock and find out where they are…" she said, while playing with her pen.

Misty looked at the phone and stretched her hand to grab it just before… It started to ring!

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH! Oh my God!" she yelled, putting her hand in her chest.

"Ok Misty, calm down…" she said while she answered it.

"Hello?" Misty said.

"Seven days…" a creepy voice said.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Misty yelled, again "Wait a minute, I haven't seen the movie, why are they calling me?" she asked suddenly.

We could hear someone snickering on the phone while Misty's face turned deep crimson…

"Well, this has to be a childish and dense brat… Ash Ketchum, what's your problem??" Misty yelled on the phone, her fists clenched.

Ash burst in laughter and each time he tried to speak, he laughed even harder.

"Misty, you should have heard your voice, you just panicked!" he said between laughters.

Misty just stood silent, her anger rising with each second passed, with each giggle heard on the phone.

"Ash, I advise you to shut up…" she said calmly.

"What? Misty don't tell me that you didn't like the joke…" he said sarcastically and added "I just decided to do a little prank… We just saw the movie today and the look on May's face when I did this to her was priceless…" he giggled even more.

Misty's heart twitched. "He did this to May too?" she asked herself and then decided to just ignore it "Why do I even care?" she asked and pursued with her insults.

"I can't believe you're almost 18 years old Ash Ketchum, you act like you're a 5 year old!" she said grinning evilly "I won!" she thought to herself.

"Hey do you even look at yourself? At least I didn't freak out when I heard a voice saying "seven days"!" he shot back and smiled smugly "I won!" he thought.

"I was just tired and overreacted, you know, being a gym leader is a tough job…" she said "While you try to beat gym leaders, I have to bear brats like you…" she ended, her smile even wider. "I won, won, won…" she thought happily.

"Oh yeah, Miss-I'm-the-best-water-pokémon-trainer-in-the-world? At least I can do what I want and have fun while you have to clean the pools…" he said smiling and thinking "This time I won…"

 "Oh yeah, Mr-I'm-gonna-be-the-best-pokémon-master-in-the-whole-world? I feel sorry for Max, May and Brock, because you and your amazing shortcuts always end up leaving you guys lost…" Misty said giggling, "Ah, ah, this time I won!" she thought.

"You won't get away that easy Missy! I…" Ash tried to say, but the cellphone was ripped off his hands.

"Oh dear, dear Misty, it's almost like you're still here, your constant arguments still caress my ears every single day…" Brock said exasperated.

"Sorry Brock!" Misty apologized, smiling at her friends "sweet" comments " Oh, but I've gotta talk to you… Can you go to a quite place?" Misty asked.

"A quite place or a non-Ash place?" Brock asked grinning.

"Oh well, a non-Ash place…" Misty smiled.

"Humm… You want to talk about Ash birthday right?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, that's it. I'm thinking about going to visit you for 2 days…" Misty told him.

"That's great Misty! I'm sure Ash will love it!" Brock said sincerely.

"Oh well, I thought that since we haven't seen each other for like, three years, and turning 18 is an important moment for everyone, I could close the gym for three days and visit you guys, remember the old days…" she said.

"Great idea! Well, Ash is going to the gym tomorrow, so we're only leaving in two days… If you come tomorrow night he won't be suspicious…" Brock said matter-of-factly.

"Then that's it: tell me exactly where you are, I'm going to catch the train first thing tomorrow and then I'll rent a bike and meet you…" Misty informed.

"Ok, get a notebook, a pen and a map, I'm gonna tell you where we are…" Brock said while Misty reached her notebook, pen and threw her pillows trying to find the map…

****************************************************************************************************************************************

6:00 a.m. 

Misty, who had already drunk 3 cups of coffee, was sitting in a bench, watching the almost empty train station, waiting for her own train.

"I'm just…" Misty yawned "…sooooooo tired…" she ended.

"All passengers for Hoenn please go to platform 14, the train has already arrive and it will leave in exactly five minutes" 

"Oh damn…" Misty cursed as she got up quickly and run to the platform.

Ten minutes, lots of bruises and lots of cursing later…

"I can't believe in this, I had to fell right in front of the train, with everyone looking at me… I'm just glad it's still 6:10, imagine if it was 10:00…" Misty turned her head towards the window while she searched her bag with one hand, trying to find a chocolate bar….

"Nooooooooo…" Misty said between clenched teeth, her attention now in her red bag. "I forgot them, I forgot my precious chocolate bars, my breakfast and lunch… DAMN IT!" Misty yelled and blushed when she saw the disapproving looks that an old lady gave her while she covered her grandchild ears.

"This is going to be a very long trip…" she mumbled and turned her gaze to the window, trying to avoid that delicious sandwich that the young girl was eating, a present from her dedicate grandmother.

"Too long…" Misty cursed when the girl said "It's delicious grammy!"…

****************************************************************************************************************************************

Twelve hours later, in a Pokémon Center, in Mauville City…

"FOOD!" Misty yelled and Nurse Joy looked astonished for a split second before running for some food.

After having a decent meal (and apologizing to Nurse Joy) Misty rent a bike and left to find Ash.

"Right, now turn left, enter the forest and ride for 2 miles…" Misty said after riding for half an hour.

"Well, without Ash here to get me lost, I'm almost there…" Misty smiled.

Thirty minutes later, Misty was there. She looked around to see if she could find them and she started to hear some sounds…

"Brock, I'm leaving for some firewood, be back in a minute!" she heard someone say.

"It's Ash! Ok Ashy-boy, ready or not, here I come!" Misty said smiling.

Just then she heard a female voice saying "I'm going too Brock! We won't be long…".

"I bet that's May…Doesn't matter, let's go find Ash, I can't wait to see the look on his face!" Misty said excitedly.

Misty brought her bike closer to Ash's camp and left it there silently. Then she walked slowly, trying to follow Ash and May's voices.

"Here they are…" Misty said when she saw them in a small clearing, grabbing some firewood. Right before she went there to hug Ash, May said:

"So, what do you want for your birthday Ash?"

Misty decided to stay there and listen.

"What? You don't have to give anything May…" he answered smiling.

"But I want to give you something…" she said in a low voice.

"What do you want to give me May?" Ash lay down the firewood and got closer to May.

"What are they doing?" Misty asked herself nervously "Stop, stop!" Misty clenched her fists but remained silent.

" Oh… Would you like…Humm, I … a kiss?" May asked embarrassed.

"Oh, ah, humm… A k-kiss?" he asked nervously.

"A kiss?? Oh my God, at least Ash doesn't seem to want it…" Misty thought to herself.

"You don't want, do you? Oh forget about it, it was just a …" May started.

"No, no! I want!" Ash answered and blushed hard.

Misty just stood there, grabbing her bag hard, almost tearing it apart, unable to move.

"Right, so…" May looked at her hands, not knowing what to do.

Ash leaned closer, May closed her eyes, Ash closed his and their lips met.

Misty just stood there, eyes wide saying to herself "Don't cry, don't cry! Oh, why am I so shocked? It was about time, right? I can't be… I can't be in love with Ash Ketchum… I can't be!" tears slid down her face "So why am I? Why am I in love with him??".

That's it!

I hope you like it!

Please review, please!!!

Oh well, I'm gonna shut up now…

Review please!!

_Cosmik_


	3. Hidden feelings

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter two: "Hidden feelings"

Disclaimer: Why do I even have to say this? It's pretty obvious that I don't own pokémon…  -_-

Before the story:

Just me and myself: I'm really glad that you liked this story I just hope you like this chapter too! Keep reviewing please! ^^

Rosemary the Rubix Cube: Well, I must agree, what Misty saw wasn't exactly "pleasant"… ^^  But don't worry, poor Misty will get over it… Eventually! ^^ Just kidding, this story won't be a drama one, definitely… Oh, and thank you so much for your tip on that sentence, I'm always trying to improve my English (I'm Portuguese by the way…) and help is always welcome, so if you have others tips please don't bother to say! ^^

Amber Myst: I have to admit, I myself love AAML fics (if you read my first fic, you'll see that it was a Misty/Ash pairing…) but I don't know about this pairings though… I'll probably follow what the reviewers have to say, but one thing I'm almost sure: May won't end up with Ash (I never saw the Hoenn series, but still I'm not a May fan- I mean, she stole Misty's  place in the series! ^^). What can I say without giving the whole story away? Well, I'll probably have a love triangle between Misty and two other boys… And I can't say more, sorry! You have to stay tuned to find out! ^^

NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu: What can I say? I love when reviewers say that they love my stories… ^^  Please keep saying that and keep reviewing! I hope you'll like this chapter too!

"No, I don't, I don't love him! Oh, I do…" Misty sighed and wiped her tears "So, what am I going to do? They're together now, they look good together… And why would he even choose a scrawny red head to be his girlfriend?" she asked herself, still sobbing.

In the clearing, Ash and May were still embraced, sharing a deep kiss. When they broke apart, Ash looked into May's eyes and said sweetly "You should give me presents like this more often…" and blushed a bit.

Hearing this, Misty finally regained the control of her legs and started to back away slowly, but firmly. Holding tightly her bag, and looking carefully for any roots or bushes that could make her trip, she made her made her way back to her bike and was ready to leave when she felt something crawling on her right shoulder.

"Nooooooo, this can't be happening…" she said in a low tone, as she slowly turned her head. 

"So what are we going to do about this?" Ash asked, while he caressed May's face.

"I'm not sur…" May started but got interrupted by a piercing scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Misty screamed, abandoning her bike and bag on the ground.

"It's Misty!" Ash said and immediately left the clearing.

"Ash! Where are you going?" May asked "Misty? But that's Ash's friend, from Cerulean… Something's wrong with this picture: she's in Cerulean City in Kanto, not in Mauville City in Hoenn!" she added, running after Ash.

Meanwhile, Brock and Max also heard the scream and quickly left the camp to help.

"It's Misty, I'm sure!" Brock yelled, while he turned on his flashlight started scanning the forest.

"Wait Brock!" Max panted. 

"GET THIS THING OFF OF ME!!!" Misty yelled, jumping and waving her hands with disgust.

"Misty??" Ash asked surprised when he finally found her.

"Misty??" May exclaimed when she caught up with Ash.

"Hey, that's your friend Misty!" Max said when he reached the same spot.

Brock, who had been left behind after tripping in a root, finally reached the four teens.

"I thought you got lost Misty!" he said relived.

"KILL IT, SMACK IT WITH A STICK, CRUSH IT, DO WHAT YOU WANT BUT TAKE IT AWAY FROM ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Misty yelled angrily (and may I add, desperately).

"But it's only a Caterpie!" May said.

"I didn't even know there were Caterpies in here…" Max said rubbing his chin.

"IT'S NOT "ONLY" A CATERPIE!!!! THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST DISGUSTING POKÉMONS INT THE WHOLE WORLD!!!! SO TAKE IT OFF NOW!!!" Misty demanded.

"Disgusting? It's such a sweet pok…." May started before Brock silenced her with his fingers and approached slowly Misty.

"Don't you ever say that in front of Misty Waterflower… Or you may not live for another day…" he said, using all his might not to burst out laughing.

Max looked at May with one expression that clearly said "This is just mad…" and May just shrugged, adding in a low tone "Leave it, and stay still, she may attack you…".

Ash stood utterly amazed by the fact that Misty was right there in Hoenn when she was supposed to be in Cerulean City Gym… "Wait a minute, Brock said that he thought that Misty was lost… So that means that he knew that she was coming…" he thought. (a/n: Hey, he's not so dense after all… ^^) 

Brock was in that exact moment trying to remove the poor Caterpie from Misty's head.

"Ok Misty, stay still, I'm using this stick to remove the Caterpie…" he said carefully.

"Hurry Brock…" Misty said between clenched teeth.

"Wait a minute! I know why you're here Misty!" Ash exclaimed, interrupting the whole delicate process that was going on.

"Damn!" Brock cursed when the Caterpie crawled quickly to Misty's face "Back away people, this isn't gonna be pretty…" he advised.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH" Misty yelled from beneath the bug pokémon, ripping it off quickly, yelling and cursing some more.

"Hey Ash, even I that don't know Misty, know that you're so dead…" Max said grinning deviously.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE ASH!!!!" Brock yelled when he saw the look on Misty's face.

Well, let's just say that Ash wasn't fast enough and Misty still got "the touch"… You know, something's never change… And Misty's powerful mallets is one of them…

****************************************************************************************************************************************

Half an hour later, the five teens were surrounding a nice warm bonfire…

"So, what exactly have you been doing Misty?" Max asked.

"Well that's easy…" Misty sighed deeply, trying to regain the enough strength to keep her from crying "When I was twelve I had to leave Ash and Brock to take care of the gym because my sisters won a trip around the world… They liked so much that little "time off" that they decided to leave me with the gym for a bit longer… So six years have passed and I'm still stuck there." she ended.

"The last time we saw Misty was three years ago, when we decided to take a break and you went to see your parents…" Brock added.

"What about your bike Misty? Should I even hope to get mine back?" May asked giggling.

Misty closed her fists and looked at the bonfire. This was too much for her, talking about the first time they saw each other…

"I wouldn't count on it May, you better buy a new one because if you're waiting for Ash Ketchum to repay it you'll even forget how to ride one…" Misty said, forcing a smile.

Max, Brock and May laughed while Ash just mumbled lame excuses and Misty looked at them, eyes starting to become watery, her low lip trembling.

"What's wrong Misty?" Ash asked concerned.

"Oh nothing… I'm just so happy to see you guys!" she half-lied.

"Misty's starting to get soft…" Ash said smiling.

"I am not!" 

"Are too!"

"And that's what they used to do…" Brock said to May and Max.

"Be careful or May will become jealous…" Max teased, making both Ash and May blush.

Misty couldn't bear it anymore. She couldn't bear the looks that they exchanged, the jokes that were made, the memories that lead her closer to the edge of tears… So she just said that she was tired. She said that she was going to bed and the she had loved that night. She said that she was extremely happy and even managed to smile once more when May said that she really liked to get to know her better.

"I'll leave first thing tomorrow… Finally be able to put all of this behind my back…" she thought sadly.

"Goodnight guys…" Misty said, smiling wider, but feeling her heart weary.

"Goodnight Misty, I'm really happy that you came!" Ash said.

"Well I'm not…" she thought bitterly, but instead nodded smiling.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

"Guess this is goodbye…" Brock said.

"Guess so…" Misty replied, determined not to cry.

"It was great to have you here, you must come and visit us more often!" May said sincerely,

"And you too, you're welcome in my gym in any time!" Misty automatically replied and added a fake smile that she hoped to fool them.

"It's a shame that you have to leave already…" Max said.

"Well, the gym can't wait much longer…" Misty replied, finding harder to keep the smile.

"You know we'll miss you, right Misty?" Brock asked, hugging her.

"I'll miss you guys to…" she said as she closed her eyes shut to avoid the tears from falling.

And there he stood. Ash Ketchum, his long time friend, and recently discovered, love. She approached him and stood quiet.

"Do you promise that you'll come find us when your sisters return to the gym?" he asked.

"I promise." Misty lied, closing her eyes and smiling wide.

"Then this is just a 'see you later' right?" he asked hopefully.

"No" she thought "Yes, of course silly" she replied.

"Ok then!" he said and hugged her.

All her strength disappeared right then. Tears started streaming down her face.

"I love you…" she whispered into his chest.

"What?" he asked when they broke apart.

"I'll miss you!" she said sobbing, and then quickly got on her bike and left.

The last thing she saw of him was a blurry vision of raven hair and blue clothes…

And then she was gone.

Finally done!

Sorry if it was too long!

Well, I hope you all like this…

Review, please?

_Cosmik_


	4. And so the romance beggins

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter three: "And so the romance begins…"

Disclaimer: No, I don't anything (but that's pretty obvious right? -_-)

I guess I didn't take too long to update… But still, I apologize for those (few  -_-) who were waiting…

Well, finally a bit more of romance (and it isn't Ash with May… ^^)! But don't except a chapter full of love declarations and kisses because this is only, let's say, a start, an introduction for the romance, so it will be mostly just flirting for now. ^^

For those who are love addicts and romantics (like me ^_~), I guess I can say that love is really, really close, so you just have to hang on a bit more… For those who like action you'll have to wait a bit more, because it will take a few more chapters… (don't know exactly how many ^^).

Now, before the story:

Amber Myst: I'm glad you didn't thought it was too long (it's because I try to write the chapter, but I can't cut things that I think that are important for the chapter I'm writing, so I end up making them a bit long… ^^). Anyway, I hope I didn't take too long to update, I just got too busy with school… Well, I hope you like this one too, and please, keep reviewing my loyal reader!  ^-^

NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu: I just have to say thank you for being so nice in your reviews! I hope you'll like this chapter too (this one took a bit longer to update right? ^^)! Please keep reviewing (my other loyal reviewers ^-~)! Oh, and you don't have to feel bad for Misty, finally she's getting a man… oops, I'm saying too much already… ^^ (keep in mind that I'm not sure about the pairings, so you keep reviewing and giving your opinion!)

Just me and myself: Thank you too for always reviewing! Oh and I forgot to thank you for putting me in your author alert list! What can I say, it's a definitely good thing for my ego! ^-^

And now, the story…

4 years later…

7:00 AM

The alarm clock was ringing, trying to wake a young woman, in her early twenties, but not being successful. She pulled the blankets, covering her beautiful face, but it seems that it didn't help, so she decided to do something more effective: she "kindly" smacked the alarm clock, making it stop ringing.

Two hours later…

A young woman with shiny, red hair, a bit longer than shoulder length, made her way to her bathroom, tripping in various pieces of cloth, shoes, among others.

"Crap!" she cursed when she saw her beautiful but tired face on the bathroom mirror. 

Her marvellous blue eyes were red from her lack of sleep, her hair was a mess, she had to pick her sisters at the airport, she had to battle the trainers, to clean the pools…

"Wait, pick my sisters at the airport???" Misty Waterflower suddenly shrieked.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! What time is it?" she asked out loud, forgetting that she was all alone in the gym.

She quickly run to her room and looked at the alarm clock.

9:11AM

"NOOOOOO! Why did I have to turn off the stupid alarm??" she yelled and proceed with cursing. Her sisters were going to arrive from her long trip in exactly 24 minutes and she didn't even wash her face!

"Focus Misty!" she repeated to herself "Planes are always late, so I'm taking my bath and then I'll be there in 20 minutes…Hopefully…" she said and run to her shower.

After a really quick shower and drying her hair with a towel, Misty run to the closet and grabbed the first thing she saw: a blue mini skirt, a yellow t-shirt and a pair of yellow sandals. 

Running the staircase down with her purse and sunglasses on one hand and the car keys on her mouth, she burst through the gym doors and run to her red car, speeding off to Cerulean Airport.

"Calm down Misty, calm down, you're only… half an hour late???" she yelled "Sorry sir, but I'm in a hurry!" Misty said as she ignored an old man trying to cross the road.

 After more 15 minutes of constant yelling, Misty was able to arrive the airport with only 45 minutes late…

"Right, so where are they?" Misty asked, while scanning the whole airport, trying to find hear dear sisters.

Ring, ring

Misty took off her sunglasses and juggled with her purse, car keys, gym keys and notepad, while she tried to find her damn cell phone.

"This is Misty, who's talking?" Misty asked, after finally finding her phone.

The airport was full of persons dragging huge bags, children running and screaming friends meeting. Misty was looking at them, while she heard a familiar voice on the phone.

"Hi Misty, it's Lily!" Misty's sister replied.

" Lily? I'm sorry, I know I'm late but I overslept… So where are you, I'll pick you up!" Misty quickly apologized.

"Well, it's like this… We, humm, decided to stay for a few more days…" Lily said in a low tone.

"What?" Misty asked menacingly.

"Well, while we were shopping some souvenirs we lost track of time and missed our plane… Then we met these gorgeous boys that…" she started before Misty yelled:

"YOU MISSED YOUR PLANE BECAUSE YOU WERE SHOPPING?? AND I WAS EVEN APOLOGIZING TO YOU??? AND NOW YOU WANT TO STAY A BIT LONGER BECAUSE YOU MET SOME 'GORGEOUS BOYS'??"

 "Yeah, something like that… But we are really sorry! We'll be back in three days, we have already buy the tickets, we just want to have some fun before we're gone…" Lily answered quickly.

"HAVE SOME FUN?? I HAVEN'T SLEPT THE NIGHT BEFORE BECAUSE I HAD TO CLEAN THE HOLE GYM AFTER DUZENS OF BATTLES, I HAD TO RUN HERE TO PICK YOU UP BECAUSE I THOUGHT I WAS LATE AND YOU SAY THAT YOU JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN?? WELL, DON'T EXPECT ME TO PICK YOU UP WHEN YOU RETURN, YOU CAN CALL A TAXI, IT´S MUCH MORE FUNNIER!!!" she yelled and hung up.

Misty looked at all the persons that were near her. They were all eye wide, whispering and she just yelled: "WHAT?" and stomp of the airport.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

"Just what I needed, public humiliation right before another exhausting…" Misty sighed, while she entered her gym.

She went to the pools and sat down, waiting for the trainers she had to face.

"Well, this seems to be incredibly calm today…" she said, right before she heard someone enter.

"Humm… I must confess I was expecting a bit more from one of the most known Gyms and Gym Leaders of the Kanto region…" a male voice said disapprovingly.

"What??" Misty asked absolutely outraged.

Well, that was all Misty had time to say before she saw his face…

"Gary Oak??? What are you doing in my Gym??" she asked surprised.

"In your Gym? So this means you're Misty Waterflower, that scrawny tomboy that used to follow Ketchum around??" Gary replied amazed.

"SCRAWNY TOMBOY???" Misty yelled livid.

"Hey, don't take it so personally, it was a compliment! You're looking great now…" Gary added.

"I'm looking great NOW??? Oh, you're definitely a gentleman Gary…" Misty said sarcastically.

"God, you don't have to be that angry…" he said wearily.

"Look, I'm a very busy person, so you tell me what you're doing here, and then you'll give me the pleasure of your departure…" Misty said coldly.

"She has definitely a bad temper…" Gary said between clenched teeth.

"Did you say something?" Misty asked menancigly.

"I was just saying that I came here to challenge you." he said glaring at her.

"You challenge me?" Misty chuckled and asked "And why would you do that?"

"The Rules of Indigo League have changed. After years of hard work and training I finally thought I would be able to win the trophy and challenge the Elite four, but it seems that I have to win some badges again." Gary informed.

"So, what happened?" Misty asked impatiently, making Gary frown.

"Although I already won, years ago, all the badges that I require to enter the competition, a new rule was made. It says that trainers can only enter the championship if they won the badges from the present Gym Leaders. This means that even if I have all the badges, I have to face the new gym leaders." he replied.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? I, Misty Waterflower, Cerulean City Gym Leader, accept your challenge." Misty said as she got into the arena.

Gary went to the arena and reached his pokéballs.

"Each one of us will use one pokémon." Misty said while she grabbed her pokéball.

"Ok, let's start then!" Gary said and tossed one pokéball "Go Scizor!" he added.

"Go Tentacruel! Use Surf!" Misty demanded.

"Use Metal Claw Scizor!" Gary said quickly.

"Dive into the pool Tentacruel!" Misty ordered swiftly.

"Use Razor Wind to remove the water!" Gary yelled.

Scizor's Razor Wind was able to get rid of the water and Tentacruel was exposed to any attack.

"That's it, use Slash to finish him off!" Gary ordered.

"No way! Tentacruel, confuse him with Supersonic and then take him down with Hydro Pump!" Misty demanded.

"I can't believe in this, I was defeated by a chick!" Gary said astonished "Good job Scizor, return!" he added.

"Yeah Gary, seems that your 'hard work and training' need to be a bit harder…" Misty said, smiling devilishly.

"Ah, ah, I just let you win this time because I don't want you to feel to embarrassed tomorrow, when I'll beat you…" Gary apologized, looking away from her amused eyes.

"That's such a lame excuse! You're pathetic Gary Oak!" Misty said, laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, you're just teasing me because you find me hot!" he said with a sexy smile.

"I what??" Misty stuttered, blushing "Get out of my Gym Gary!" she yelled irate, when she noticed her burning face.

"Ok, but I'll be here tomorrow to take the badge with me…" Gary said smiling wider.

"Get out, NOW!!!" Misty yelled again.

Gary turned and left the Gym, waving a hand and smiling again.

"I didn't need this, I so didn't need this…" Misty said, rubbing her temples and looking at the Gym doors.

"He's impossible to bear! That snob, arrogant… Oh, I can't even describe him!" Misty said, putting her hands in her red cheeks.

"But you can't wait to see him again…" a little voice said in the back of her head.

"What??? I must be crazy…" Misty said, feeling her cheeks going deep crimson… Again.

That's all for today!

I hope you liked this chapter!

Please, please review! I heard that reviewing is good for your health… Oh, come on, review!

_Cosmik_


	5. Love advices and unexpected arrivals

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter four: "Love advices and unexpected arrivals"

Disclaimer: No, I don't own pokémon…

Before the story:

NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu: Yeah, you're right, one week isn't that long (anyway, I'll probably update once a week because school keeps me so busy… -_-)… About Misty's sisters, sure they are annoying; almost everyone that has sisters finds them annoying sometimes (I have one and I know what I'm saying… ^_^)… And now about Gary… Yeah, he's a bit snob but funny and I do think that Misty and him look good together (but still, I'm not sure about pairings)… Finally some romance for poor Misty (and more humor for my fic… ^_~)!

Amber Myst:  Yeah, they do look good together don't they? ^_^ But don't lose your hopes, I don't know if they should be together in the end of this fic (it's definitely a strong possibility, but we still have Ash… let's just wait ^_~)…

Reviewer 131: Yeah, I still haven't manage to find my writing style and I know that the writing is a bit poor (but don't forget that I'm Portuguese, so it's a bit more difficult for me to write in English…)… Anyway, I'm hoping to improve my English, and this is only my second fic so I'll try to improve my writing to… ^_^ About Gary and Misty: it's not a ordinary pairing, but I think that it makes a story a bit more interesting and I'm glad you think I stayed true to the characters (because I'm trying to ^^) and that the story is entertaining. Any constructive review is good to help me improve, so keep reviewing and telling me where should I work harder, or if I have improved at all! 

Finally, the story…

"God I'm bored…" Misty moaned while she organized the piles of documents in her desk.

Two weeks had passed since the day Gary first entered her gym. Since then, Gary had visited her everyday, trying to win a badge, but most importantly, trying to convince Misty into going in a date with him. Obviously she had always said no to his "appealing invitations".

Anyway… Working in the gym had these days when Misty almost couldn't breath and had some other days when she almost died of boredom… And this was one of those days when you almost died of boredom.

"Sometimes I think that the trainers have these secret meetings where they plan to make my life miserable…" she said while trying to balance a pen in her nose.

"Well, I certainly look like…" Misty started "a very retarded person…" Gary ended for her.

"Gary?!" Misty jumped from her chair, making the pen fall, her face turning red (something that was becoming too ordinary these past days…).

"Yeah, but please, don't state the obvious…" he answered smiling.

"Stupid jerk…" Misty said, glaring him.

"Oh please Misty, you don't have to be that nice…" Gary said sarcastically.

"I always try my best to please you…" she replied with a fake smile.

"If you want to please me you just have to…" Gary started but Misty interrupted him "No Gary, I won't go out with you…".

Gary opened his mouth to speak but Misty interrupted him again "And yes, I know what I'm missing, and I also know that you're…" she coughed and proceeded with an amused smile "supposedly on of the most attractive guys in the area and that I shouldn't turn you down…" she ended, smiling wider.

Gary looked at her with a smug look on his face.

"Well, I was only going to challenge you to a battle…" he said smiling while she blushed again.

"I'm sorry, but we'll have to leave the battle for another day because has you can see I'm pretty busy…" Misty lied.

"Yes, you were certainly busy with your pen…" Gary teased.

Misty glared him and slowly said "Leave…".

"Misty you do know that you're completely in love with me, right?" he asked grinning.

"GO NOW!!!" Misty yelled angrily.

Gary turned and left Misty looking like she could kill someone. Only the phone could take her out of her trance a few minutes later.

"Hello?" Misty asked.

"Hi Misty… Now I'm really asking you: will you go on a date with me?" Gary's voice asked on the phone.

"You again??? I already said NO!!!" Misty yelled and was about to hung up when she heard "I promise you that before this day ends, you'll accept my invitation…".

"Have you been drinking Gary??? Not in a million years!!!" Misty yelled and hung up.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

A few hours later…

Misty was sitting by the pools when she heard some voices.

"Finally some trainers…" she sighed but then she recognized them "No, it can't be… Lily, Daisy and Violet, what are you doing here???" Misty asked astonished.

Right at the gym entrance we could see three beautiful women in her early thirties, each one of them with shoulder length hair. One of them had pink straight hair, another one had wavy blue hair and the last one had wavy blond hair. They were all surrounded by tons of bags and packages that they immediately ignored when they saw her little sister.

"Misty! Oh we missed your bad temper!!!" Daisy said while she hugged Misty.

"God, you're choking me!" Misty said smiling.

"You're looking great sis'!" Lily said sincerely.

"Yeah, I bet you already have a boyfriend!" Violet said laughing.

"Don't you start with that!" Misty said warningly.

"I missed this gym…" Daisy said while she picked her bags "Misty, I'll need a hand with these…" she asked.

"Me too! We've bought tons of wonderful things for you Misty!" Lily said excitedly.

"And we have so many stories to tell you!" Violet added while she gave some of her bags to Misty.

"Oh, please take those Misty…" Lily said while all of them got up the stairs to their rooms.

"Oh we missed you so much!" Misty said, faking her sisters' voices,

 "I can't believe in this: they have just arrived and I'm already carrying their things…" she moaned and completely forgot about Gary.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

In a park, somewhere in Cerulean City, young man with brown hair and eyes, with a blue t-shirt and jeans was sitting in a bench.

"Hey, is this Brock Slater? This is Gary Oak speaking…" Gary said on the phone.

"Humm, this is Brock… " Brock said uncertain, after a few seconds.

"Hey Brock-o, I need to talk with you about someone…" Gary said quickly.

"You need to talk with me? Are you really Gary Oak? You probably have the wrong number…" Brock said surprised.

"No, I wanna talk with you… I need to ask you some advices…" Gary said.

"Ask advices? You're gonna ask ME advices?" Brock asked astonished.

"Don't push it…" Gary said exasperated.

"Ok… So, what d-do you want to ask m-me?" Brock stuttered.

"I want some love advices…" Gary said slightly embaressed.

"LOVE ADVICES? GARY OAK ASKING ME LOVE ADVICES??? AHAHAHAHAH!!!!" Brock laughed hysterically.

"Stop it or I'll hung up…" Gary said angrily.

"O-Ok…" Brock said, trying to calm down.

"Well, I want you to help get Misty to go on a date with me…" Gary said.

"Misty? Misty Waterflower?" Brock asked surprised, again.

"Yes, Misty Waterflower…" Gary said impatiently.

"AHAHAHAHAHAH! GARY WANTS TO DATE MISTY!!!" Brock yelled hysterically.

"That's it!" Gary yelled and hung up.

A few seconds later Gary's phone rang.

"Hello?"

"It's Brock, Gary… I'm sorry, I'll help you g…" he suppressed a few chuckles "get Misty…" he ended.

"Stop snickering!" Gary yelled.

"Ok…" Brock answered giggling.

"SHUT UP!!!!!!" Gary yelled outraged.

"Ok, sorry…" Brock answered.

"Now make sure that you're alone and spit it out…" Gary said and tried to ignore his pink cheeks.

Another chapter done!

I hope you've liked it!

Please review!

_Cosmik_


	6. Moonlight serenade

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter five: "Moonlight serenade"

Disclaimer: No, I don't own pokémon but I think that's pretty obvious right? -_- Oh, and I don't own any of the songs that will appear in here…

Before the story, it's reviewer's time  ^_^

jade destiny: Thank you so much for reviewing the two chapters! Oh thank you again for putting my story on your favorites! I'll try not to disappoint you… I've already said this but I'll say it again anyway: I don't know if I should put Misty with Ash or Gary in the end of the story (something that won't happen soon… I think… ^_^) and that's why I'll leave it up to you, my reviewers to decide! I think the two main couplings so far are Ash/Misty or Gary/Misty (and I'll probably add some more couples later…), so what you have to do is just review and tell me what you want! Meanwhile I guess we'll have Misty and Gary together, at least for a while… ^_~

NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu: Thank you so much for always reviewing! I know I'm always saying this, but I can't get enough of reading those nice things you say (write   ^-^)! About Misty and Gary… If you liked the last chapter, I think you'll like this one too! Personally, it's one of my favorites so far (well, I haven't written anything after this one, but this chapter is so funny- or at least I hope it is…)! You just have to look carefully at the title and you'll find out what I'm talking about… ^_~

Shadow Kat: Again, I have to say thank you for, in the first place, for having enough patience to read my story, and in second place for reviewing! Please, keep reviewing at telling if you're liking this story and to let me know if you want a Misty/Gary or a Ash/Misty pairing! ^_^

On with the story…

Misty was resting quietly in her bed. Looking at the window of her balcony, seeing the dark sky and the shining stars, thinking about her day, her life.

She stretched slowly and hugged one of her soft pillows.

"Oh, I'm exhausted! The arrival of my sisters and Gary flirting with me again…" she said with a pleased smile.

Right then, she heard the low sound of something hitting the glass of the balcony. Misty was so tired that she didn't even bother looking at the window.

"What? I don't wanna get up now…" she said, covering her face with the blankets.

A few more minutes and the pile of tiny rocks just got taller and taller…

"Don't wanna…" Misty moaned and covered her ears, closing her eyes firmly.

CRASH!

Misty ripped the blankets off and jumped from her bed immediately.

"What the…" she almost screamed when she saw the large hole in the glass and the shatters on the floor. Misty opened the balcony's door and stepped outside in the cold night.

"Oh my God…" she said surprised and at the same time completely outraged.

"Gary Oak, what on earth brought you here this late?!" she asked in pure rage.

Gary smirked when he saw her surprised face. Folding his arms and smiling even wider when he saw her angry expression, he answered calmly:

"Well, it seems this is the only way I van get your attention…"

"I must agree with you, breaking my window is certainly a good way to get my attention! But I must add that coming to my gym every single day is also a good way!" Misty said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry about the window… Sometimes I can't control my strength… I might say that this is one of the disadvantages of having this great muscles…" he replied grinning.

"Ok Misty, breath deeply, calm down…" Misty said under her breath.

"Fine, you can keep that bad temper of yours, I'm just getting this over with…" Gary frowned.

"Get over with what Gary? I'm not in the mood for one more of your little surprises! It's already past midnight, and I have to rest because some of us DO work you know?" Misty grinned evilly.

"Oh Misty, that's why I like you! You're such a charming person, always ready to say something nice to me!" Gary returned the fake smile.

"You deserve it!" she replied with a death glare.

"Yeah, yeah, spare the your time and mine too! Let me do what Brock told me to…" Gary sighed.

"Brock? You've talked to Brock? Why?" Misty asked impatiently.

"Would you just shut up? Brock told me that this is how we do it…" Gary said exasperated.

"Do what??? And WE who??" Misty burst.

"God, you don't have to yell all the time you know?" Gary demanded, rubbing his temples.

"THIS BROKEN WINDOW GIVES ME THE RIGHT TO YELL!!!" Misty screamed, pointing at her former window.

"Could you just forget about the stupid window?! Sometimes I wonder I do I even try…" Gary said between clenched teeth.

"Oh, I assure you, the feeling is mutual…" Misty replied in a low tone.

"Hey man, are we doing this or not?" someone asked.

"Yeah, yeah, just zip it, I'm paying you by the hour, the longer you stay the richer you get!" Gary yelled irritated.

"Gary Oak… Who is there with you???" Misty said in a menacingly voice.

"Let's do it!" he said and added under is breath "Before I regret…"

"Do what, do what???" Misty asked nervously, trying to find the other men.

"Now silence. This will be a unique moment and I mean it.  Now in a exhibition that resembles" he paused and made an unforgettable face "Romeo and Juliet, Gary Oak will do a serenade."

"God… Oh God…" Misty mumbled, squeezing her hands.

"All you need is love…" Gary started with some guitars as background.

"No, no, no…" Misty said desperately.

"Oh crap, I can't remember the lyrics!" Gary cursed.

"Thank goodness…" Misty sighed relieved.

"Well then, I'll recite a poem! Guys, continue please…"

"Please Gary…" Misty begged, covering her eyes.

"You're just to good to be true, can't take my eyes of off you, you'd be like heaven to touch, I wanna hold you so much…"

"Gary, that's a song…" Misty sweatdropped.

"Oh yeah? I thought so, I'm not that good with poems…" he replied casually.

"Could you stop now?" Misty asked angrily.

"If you go out with me… Or at least come down…" Gary said with a dirty smile.

"YOU PERVERT!!! I WON'T COME DOWN! YOU CAN FREEZE TO DEATH FOR WHAT I CARE!!!" Misty yelled livid.

"Well, I guess I have to start singing again…" Gary replied smiling wide.

"Oh yeah? Then sing! Sing through the whole night Sing till you can't talk during the whole week! You would be doing me a huge favour!!!" Misty yelled.

"You've said it… I need you babe, I love you babe…" he started.

"Well, have a goodnight, I'm going to my bed." Misty informed and turned to her own room.

"Misty, make him stop!" Lily shrieked suddenly.

"We have to get some beauty sleep!" Daisy added.

"Do it now! Kill him if you have to!" Violet yelled angrily.

Misty closed her eyes and fists and took another deep breath. "I'm gonna smack him in his head… Oh, he's going to suffer so bad…" she thought while she went down the stairs.

Gary watched amused as Misty burst trough the gym doors and walked quickly towards him and his little "orchestra".

The night was beautiful: a full moon lit the whole romantic scenario, and most people would consider it an almost perfect place to be with your loved one. Well, Gary and Misty were everything but regular persons…

Misty forced a smile and mumbled under her breath "Brock is so dead after this…"

"You finally decided to come down… I knew you would…" Gary added casually.

"After this, you promise you'll go home?" Misty asked.

"I don't… It depends…" Gary replied with a sexy smile.

"Promise…" Misty repeated menacingly.

"Maybe…" Gary answered, smiling wider.

Misty looked at him for a few seconds, deciding what she should do, and Gary returned her intense gaze, arms folded and that usual smug expression on his face. 

"I hope this will do…" Misty said while she leaned closer to Gary. They were so close that Gary could smell her sweet sent and see her fantastic blue eyes shining with the moonlight.

"Finally…" Gary thought when he saw her close her eyes and approach his face.

But when she was about to touch his lips, Misty turned her face and kissed Gary in his forehead.

"I bet you thought you'd get lucky…" Misty whispered softly into his ears, smiling.

Gary grinned and whispered into hers "I thought that I deserved a better reward after all that horrible singing…", making her smile wider.

"Can we go now???" one of Gary's 'assistants' asked, ruining that special moment.

"SHUT UP!!!" Gary yelled outraged.

Misty stepped back and said grinning "I think that's a good idea, I still need my sleep…"

"No, you won't go before you accept my proposition! You have to go on a date with me!" Gary said impatiently.

"When I thought he could be a nice decent guy he had to act like a jerk…" Misty thought angrily.

"I already said no Gary!!!" Misty screamed.

"Then I'll start singing until you decide to say yes or at least give me a decent goodnight kiss!!!" Gary demanded.

"Damn it!!! Do WE have to go down there and give him a goodnight kiss???" Daisy yelled from Misty's balcony.

"I woudn't mind…" Gary's smile got wider when he saw the look on Misty's face.

"When will you quit?" Misty asked wearily.

"Well, if you promise me that we'll go on a date I'll leave…" Gary answered simply.

"Just that?" Misty asked.

"Just that." Gary replied.

"Ok, I'll go out with you." Misty gave up.

"Great! I'll pick you up tomorrow at 8pm." Gary said quickly.

"What?" Misty asked shocked.

"See you then! Come on guys!" Gary said, and left with the guitarists.

Misty was paralysed for a few seconds, while she saw Gary leave. Then she entered the gym and went up the stairs to her room. She sat on her bed and started robbing her temples.

"Finally some rest!" Lily sighed and went to her own room.

"Hey Misty, how did you convince him to go home?" Violet asked curiously.

"I had to fulfil his wish…" Misty replied sarcastically and sunk her face on her pillow. She then yelled in pure frustration.

"I've got a date with him tomorrow…" she said with a muffled voice.

"Oh… I'm sure that will be interesting…" Daisy said with a weak smile.

That's it! 

Sorry if it was too long…

I just hope you like it!

Review please!!!

_Cosmik_


	7. Everything but the perfect date

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter seven: "Everything but the perfect date…"

Disclaimer: It's not mine… No, I definitely don't own pokémon…

God, I never had so many reviews in one chapter! I'm so proud… ^_^ Thank you so much!

Thank you time:

Shadow Kat: God, I wish I were such a good writer as you say… But meanwhile I just try to please my reviewers and have fun! ^_^ Anyway, thank you so much for your kind reviews! I'm glad you though the chapter was funny (I had a really great time writing it too! ^^)!

Amber Myst: Thank you for reviewing this chapter! I told you that this was a much funnier chapter, and it's my favorite so far! Well, I'm glad you liked the chapter! And I'm counting the "votes": so far, aaml is winning! ^_~ Please, keep reviewing!

Sithi: Thank you for reviewing this chapter! Please keep reviewing telling me that those nice things, it's great for my ego! ^_~

Mystical Miyuki: I never thought I could make someone laugh hysterically… ^^ But I'm glad I did, and I hope I manage to do that in the next chapters! Please, keep reviewing!

alexis: You're right, I have to tell what happened to Ash, Brock, May and Masato… Well, but don't worry, they'll be in the chapter, or at least Ash and Brock are,that's for sure! Stay tuned to see what's going to happen!

NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu: It's quite funny and interesting to picture Misty and Gary together, isn't it? ^_^  You really think that the chapters are improving? I sure hop so, I'm doing my best! Thank you for your reviews! ^.^

Just me and myself: Hi again! ^_^ Well, I know I'm always saying this… But thank you for your patience and for reviewing!

Finally, the story…

Well, after a, at least, terrible night, Misty woke up to find an even worse morning…

It was just after getting up, that she fully realized the consequences of her decision… Yes, she really HAD to go out with Gary, and that wasn't definitely something that made your day worth…

So, if you add to all of that, the fact that her useless sisters were already complaining and demanding her breakfast, we could say that if Misty were just in a bad mood, then Gary would be just an impetuous little boy…

"REMIND ME AGAIN, WHY SHOULD I MAKE YOUR BREAKFAST? AM I YOUR SERVANT???" Misty screamed from the kitchen, while her sisters went down the stairs, cursing and yelling insults.

"What's with that mood??? Don't tell me that you're still like that because of that dreadful singer and admirer of yours!" Lily shrieked.

"I think you better not talk about him like that, she might end up jealous…" Violet teased.

"SHUT UP!!!! I'M SOOOO NOT IN THE MOOD FOR YOUR STUPID JOKES!!!!!" Misty yelled angrily.

"Misty, phone for you…" Daisy said, handing her the phone.

"Who is it?" Misty asked impatiently.

"I'm just gonna say that I don't want to be here when you find out…" Daisy said snickering, while she left the kitchen with her sisters.

"Hello?" Misty asked.

"Hi Misty, I just wanna…" Gary Oak's sexy voice started.

"I HATE YOU!" Misty yelled and hung up harshly.

"Why my God, why does he have to be such jerk??? What have I done to deserve this???" Misty asked livid.

Meanwhile, with Gary…

"I HATE YOU!" Misty yelled and hung up harshly.

"Yeah, she's just so in love with me…" Gary said amused.

"Oh Misty, you don't have the faintest idea of the humiliations you put me through…" he moaned bitterly while he dialled Brock's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Brock, it's Gary…I…humm… I need your help again…" Gary said in a low tone.

"You need what? You have to speak a bit louder Gary, I can't hear you…" Brock said with a sadistic smile.

"I need your help again…" Gary repeated, almost in a whisper.

"What? I can't quite he…" Brock started but was immediately cut off.

"I SAID I NEED YOUR HELP AGAIN!!!" Gary yelled angrily.

"So you mean my first plan worked??" Brock asked surprised.

"Yeah… But that was the objective right?" Gary asked suspiciously.

"Sure…" Brock said nervously "Well, my goal was to humiliate you but I guess Misty liked it… Humm, interesting…" he thought.

"And? Now that I finally got her to accept my invitation, what should I do?" Gary asked.

"Are you sure Misty didn't tape you or something?" Brock asked curiously.

"No… Why?" Gary asked frowning.

"Oh… Humm… It could be useful to see where you went wrong and get it right…" Brock babbled nervously.

"But I'm not planning to do another serenade so I don't see your point…" Gary said irritated.

"Oh…Well… So… You wanted help with Misty right? On your date?" Brock asked suddenly.

"Humm… Yeah, that's right…" Gary stuttered.

Brock grinned deviously and suppressed a few chuckles: so, he missed the serenade, but he couldn't miss this one… It was the perfect opportunity: Ash wanted to visit Misty and ask for her help to choose a gift to May for St Valentine's day… And Brock could come with Ash, using his free time to follow the two lovebirds and film them… Oh, this would be so fun to watch… (a/n: yeah, the lack of girls can cause this… he may seem a bit pervert, but don't worry, Brock will return to his "usual self"…^_^)

"Well then, take some notes: Misty loves strong, powerful guys… You have to lead the relationship…" Brock started, smiling wider.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

A few hours later…

Misty went down the stairs while she combed her hair quickly.

"Good God Misty, you look so…" Daisy started.

"…Normal!" Lily ended.

"You have a date and you don't even buy some new clothes or put some makeup?" Violet asked, furrowing her eyebrow disapprovingly. 

"Please! It's just Gary Oak! I mean, no way in hell I'm gonna put some makeup to please him!" Misty replied crossing her arms.

"And I rather die than confess that I've changed clothes a million times before I decide to wear this ones…" Misty thought to herself.

"Hey Misty, Gary has entered the building…" Lily whispered, while she peeked from the kitchen door.

"Oh God, oh God… How do I look???" Misty asked nervously.

Violet, Daisy and Lily smiled reassuringly.

"You look great Misty, don't worry!" Daisy said sincerely.

"But you said that my clothes…" Misty started but Lily interrupted "Misty, you're not like us: you don't need make up or expensive clothes to look beautiful!"

"You just have to b yourself… Now go, he's waiting…" Violet said grinning.

"Ok… Bye!" Misty said squeezing her hands tightly, trying to regain some dignity and serenity.

"Our baby sister is growing…" Daisy said smiling right after Misty left.

"Yeah… But she should have put some makeup don't you think?" Lily asked.

"And those clothes… A simple dress would be great, I think the black skirt and the red shirt were a bit too casual…" Violet said disapprovingly.

"Definitely…" the other two agreed.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

Misty walked slowly towards Gary, trying not to lose her balance and not to seem too tense…

"Since when I was so nervous with this date?" Misty asked herself surprised.

He had his back turned to her, looking through one of the windows of the gym so she approached carefully and observed him for a while…

"He doesn't seem nervous… Sometimes I wish I was more like him…" she thought.

"God, I'm nervous… I wonder if those advices that Brock gave me will work? I sure hope so… I never doubted so much of my capacities like I doubt now, with her…" Gary thought.

"Hey, does he have flowers with him?" Misty thought, trying to peer over his large shoulders.

"Where is she???" Gary asked impatiently, turning suddenly, being face to face with Misty.

"WHAT???" they both yelled and backed away.

"Sorry, I was going to call you, but you seemed so far away…" Misty apologized, looking at her feet, blushing deep.

"Herm, I… hum… I was waiting for you… Can we go now?" Gary stammered.

"Yeah, sure…" Misty said nervously but noticed that he didn't bring flowers.

"So you didn't bring flowers…" she said casually, while they were entering his car "And he didn't even open my door…" she thought.

"You wanted flowers?" Gary asked surprised.

"Every girl wants flowers Gary… That's being a gentleman…" she replied sarcastically.

"I thought you didn't like that kind of things…" Gary said uncertain.

"Why? I'm girl right?" Misty asked angrily.

"But you're not any girl…" Gary said smiling. "That's it Gary, it's time to compliment her…"

"That' not going to work Gary…" Misty replied simply.

"Humm…. You rock my world baby!"

"Stop it Gary…"

"You're looking so damn good…"

"Don't push it…"

"You're my sex goddess…"

"STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!!! Stop being such a pathetic jerk and please return to your usual arrogant self!!!" Misty burst.

"Are you sure?"

Misty sweatdropped.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

Well, the trip to their destiny was sure long…

After their little dialogue, Gary decided to keep his mouth shut, breaking the silence only by tapping his fingers in the steering wheel.

Misty was quite content with his decision, it would give her time and space to calm down and straight out her thoughts…

Anyway, after around thirty minutes Gary parked his car. Misty looked around curiously, trying to find some clue that could indicate were they were going to have dinner, but all she could see was a Bowling room…

"Finally a good surprise Gary! Come on, you can tell me now where we're going to have dinner…" Misty said smiling when she got out of the car.

Gary, who was opening the door for her just smiled back confused.

"What do you mean, where are we going to have dinner? I thought you liked bowling…"

"And I like bowling Gary, but I think that taking me to a bowling room on our first date is everything but romantic!!!" Misty yelled outraged.

"So, what do you want me to do???" Gary yelled angrily.

"I demand that you take me to a decent restaurant!!!" Misty yelled.

"All right, get in the car!" he replied harshly.

After another twenty minutes of silence and tension, Misty and Gary got out of the car, both of them with sulking expressions.

"After you my lady…" Gary said sarcastically, opening the door of the restaurant for Misty.

She just sent him a death glare.

Well, the dinner was certainly very interesting… Thirty minutes filled with sarcastic remarks, dangerous glares and moments of tension, just what every couple wants for his first date…

Finally, at the end of the meal, when the bill arrived…

"Misty, I forgot my wallet…" Gary said embarrassed.

"Funny Gary… Now pay…" Misty replied casually.

"No Misty, I'm saying the truth…" Gary said blushing.

For some amazing fifteen seconds, Misty was able to repress the words that were burning her tongue… But only for fifteen seconds…

"Gary Oak you're the most pathetic, rude, dense, snob, stupid, arrogant…"

"I think I get it Misty… Now can you pay please?" Gary sighed frustrated.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

The journey home was a it quicker than the others (since Gary drove as fast as possible…)…

Misty absolutely ignored Gary and didn't even say goodbye when he dropped her at the gym…

"Bye Misty…" he said shyly.

Misty mumbled some words under her breath (we could hear, among others, insensitive beast, sadistic bastard, cynical jerk…) and entered the gym.

"Well, she still loves me…" Gary said smiling weakly, turning to his own car and entering.

"Or at least I hope so, because I've fallen for her…" he said smiling sweetly.

In the gym, Misty went up the stairs quietly and entered her room.

"Stupid jerk…" she said in a low tone, while she took off her shoes.

She then quietly went to her window and watched his car leave.

"So why do I think that I've fallen in love with him?"

That's it!

It was sooo long!

I hope you have liked it!

Please review!

_Cosmik_


	8. Just when things couldn't get worse

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter Eight: "Just when things couldn't get worse…"

Disclaimer: God, this again… No it's obvious I don't own Pokémon…

Well, I had to open my big mouth… I got much less reviews this time… -_- But anyway, those who review deserve their thank you:

Shadow Kat: Thank you so much for reviewing (God, I'm always saying this… ^_^) ! Oh, and sorry for the delay… I'll try not to take so much time to update ok? ^_~

Alexis: Thank you for reviewing my two chapters… I know Ash didn't show up in the last chapter, but he's in this one! Don't expect much romance between him and Misty for now, just in later chapters… Everyone has "voted" for an aaml so far, so I think you don't have to worry about the pairing ok? ^-^  

And now, on with the story!

The morning after the unforgettable date, Misty decided that she wasn't going to get out of her room that soon: she thought of sulking in her bed for a few hours would be much better… So, she scribbled in a small piece of paper a "sweet and caring note" that warned her "beloved" sisters not to bother her if they didn't want to face her "unstable" mood… 

And that's how that marvellous morning started… 

Anyway, Lily got up lazily, yawning loudly and stretching her arms, already preparing her not too subtle or discreet questions, when she noticed the note on Misty's door…

"So I guess the date didn't go that well…" she said, grinning evilly.

Of course that note didn't persuade her: we're talking about one of Misty's sisters, it only made her even more curious… And that's why the foolish girl attempted to get Misty to spit it out, only causing her scream hysterically…

"Hey Misty! So, tell me how was your date…" Lily said right after she opened the door slightly.

"LEAVE NOW!!!!!! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW TO READ, YOU STUPID, LAZY…" her voice was cut off when Lily closed the door abruptly.

"Bitch…" the usually cool, pink haired girl mumbled under her breath.

She got down the stairs and sure enough, breakfast wasn't ready when she arrived at the kitchen…

"Daisy, Violet, come here and make some breakfast!" she demanded.

And of course that this was equally stupid… All she received was some more lovely words (meaning: insults) by her other moody sisters.

"Crap! Lazy bastards…" she cursed angrily, while she tried to find the cookie jar (this being the only thing she could actually cook… because it wasn't "cookable", get it? ^_^).

And the only thing that could get her day even better… Yes, the damn phone had to rang…

"I WON'T ANWSER IT!" Lily yelled furious, crossing her arms.

"LIKE WE CARE!" the other three yelled in response.

"Please die…" Lily moaned while she eyed the phone dangerously.

Well… It didn't. It just rang and rang and rang getting more and more annoying…

"Stop ringing…" she said in a menacingly low tone.

The phone just kept ringing…

"WOULD YOU JUST GET UP YOUR LAZY BUTT AND STOP THAT STUPID PHONE???" Misty screamed fuming, from her room.

Lily got up livid, almost tearing apart the phone when she answered it…

"Hello?" a relieved male voice said on the phone.

"How can you be soooooo annoying and stubborn??? Didn't you even think that no one wanted to answer the damn phone??? You selfish bastard!" Lily burst outraged.

"So this is definitely Cerulean City Gym… Is this Misty?"

"No it isn't and I'm not going to call her!" Lily replied cruelly.

"Please it's a bit urgent…" the voice begged.

"She's not in the mood and I'M not in the mood for her mood… GET IT???" Lily said harshly.

"But I need to talk with her… Would you pleeeeeease do me the favour of calling her?"

"No way…" she replied.

"Pweeeeease???" the voice begged again.

"I'm gonna hung up…" Lily warned.

"Well then… Who are you anyway?"

"Lily…" she replied impatiently.

"Well Lily, I'll have to call and keep calling till Misty talks with me…"

"Are you Gary? Because if you are, I must warn you that Misty is furious with you… To say at least…" Lily said.

"But I'm not Gary, I'm Ash Ketchum…" Ash informed and added surprised "But why is she furious with Gary?" 

"Like hell I'm telling you…" Lily said simply.

Ash sighed frustrated. This was going to be hard… Misty's sister wasn't helping and his patience was running out… And what was that about Gary??

"Can you at least take a message?" he asked suddenly.

"Do I look like your servant?" Lily asked indignantly.

"I'll call again…" Ash menaced.

"Fine!" she huffed "What do you want???"

****************************************************************************************************************************************

Four hours later…

Misty had finally decided that sulking in her room was boring and she was starving… So she went down the stairs and tried to find the cookie jar (well, the incompetence in cooking was common to all the members of the family obviously…)…

"Where is my cookie jar???" she moaned.

Searching the whole kitchen and finding nothing, she grabbed an apple and went to her room enraged.

"Lily, did you steal my cookies?!" Misty asked annoyed when she passed Lily's door.

"DI-SA-PPEAR!!!" Lily yelled in response.

"Fine! But you'll pay for it!" Misty replied angrily but quickly asked "Who was on the phone? Someone for me?"

"So who was the stupid, lazy girl…?" Lily thought wickedly and answered simply "Oh, just a boy with a wrong number…", adding a fake smile.

"Oh… Humm… I was just curious… So, I'll go to my room now… Right…" she mumbled nervously.

"God, I was too hasty… Now she'll think that I was expecting Gary to call… Gary??? Why him? I need to eat, I'm definitely not thinking straight…" Misty said to herself and left to her room not even suspecting the surprise that she was going to have…

****************************************************************************************************************************************

"Hey, someone's on the door…" Daisy said simply and turned her attention to a magazine.

"Go get it Misty, I'm working on my nails…" Violet asked.

Misty left the living room cursing and went to the door.

"I'm working on my nails, go get it Misty… I'm too dumb to know how to open a door…" Misty said sarcastically.

Lily got up quickly from the couch and ran to her room.

"Lily, what's your problem??" Daisy asked curiously, but not moving her eyes from the magazine.

"If Misty asks, I left to visit a friend and I don't know when I'm coming back!" Lily replied and got to her room.

"What's her problem?" Violet asked while she looked at the door, waving her hands for the nail polish to dry.

"ASH KETCHUM???? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE???" Misty scream was heard in the entire gym.

"What now??" Daisy said annoyed.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

At the Gym door…

"ASK KETCHUM???? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE???" Misty yelled shocked.

"Herm… Didn't Lily tell you? I called to ask if you could help me with a St Valentine's gift for May… And nice to see you too…" he replied with a weak smile.

"LILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Misty screamed infuriated.

"Oh, so that's why Lily went to her room…" Daisy said, while she and Violet peered from the top of the stairs.

"WHERE'S LILY???" Misty yelled livid.

"Hairdresser!" Violet answered.

"Restaurant!" Daisy said quickly.

"I said I was in a friend's house! You really are useless!" Lily yelled from behind them "Oops…" she mumbled when she saw Misty's dangerous glare.

Ash stared dumbfounded but with a smile on his lips.

"I missed you Misty…"

That's it!

Please review!

Sorry for taking soooo long!

Oh, and stay tuned for the next chapter, I think you'll like it better than this one!

_Cosmik_


	9. Bittersweet shopping

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter nine: "Bittersweet shopping"

Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon, ok?

Thank you time: 

Shadow Kat: Thank you so much for always reviewing! I hope you find this chapter funny too! ^ ^

NoZoMi aNd HoTaRu: Thank you for reviewing this chapter! Yeah, Misty's date was definitely a disaster and now that Ash has come, things will be a bit more confusing for Misty… Anyway, they won't be together that soon… You just have to be patient and wait a while… ^_~

alexis: Sorry for the slight cliffhanger, but I thought it was the best place to end the chapter, not making it too long… Well, here you have another chapter to entertain you! I just hope you like it!

legolas liker: Hi! Thank you for reviewing! Well, about Togepi… I never saw the Advance Generation episodes, but I know that Misty left her Togepi in Mirage Kingdom to rule or something like that, so I didn't put him in this story… About the pairing… Don't worry, this one will be a Misty/Ash paring, but not that soon… I don't have the whole story planned (just an idea of what's going to happen) so I don't know how long it will be… I guess you just have to wait for now… ^_^

And now, the story…

Oh well… That wasn't definitely what Ash was expecting… After so many years far from Misty, only talking through the few phone calls he could afford to with all his training, he thought he was going to have a warmer welcome… But he was certainly wrong:  he saw no tears of happiness nor received a friendly hug from her… Just pure shock and surprise, not a usual display of affection like he wanted to see… So yes, he was a bit disappointed and perhaps hurt in the beginning, but that was quickly forgotten when he saw Misty yelling at her sister…

"I sure missed her… And I just realised how much I missed her now…" he thought sadly, the bittersweet smile lingering in his face.

Her temper, her voice, her eyes, her hair… Why haven't he visited her earlier? He had been so caught up in his training and in his relationship with May, that he had abandoned his friend… Yes, it had been mostly his fault that their friendship was slowly damaged, but somehow he felt that Misty herself had carefully backed away, giving him space that he never asked for… When did that happen? He should have noticed, he should have avoided it… Now he was afraid that Misty might consider him a stranger, that she might not know him or treat him like she used to… 

"Sorry Ash, please come in…" Misty apologized nervously.

"I don't want to bother… If you can't go shopping with me, I understand…" Ash replied weakly.

"Oh… Of course I'll go! I just have to put some decent clothes and then we can go… Do you want to wait in the living room?" Misty asked, smiling uncertain.

"No, I'll wait in the car, hoping you won't take long like May does…" he teased, smiling sweetly.

Misty stiffened when he said her name, but quickly replied with a wide, forced smile, trying to break the awkward mood.

"I won't take long, don't worry! But you better be nice to me and buy me some decent dinner after shopping, or you'll have to face my wrath…"

"It's a deal!" Ash answered cheerfully, turning to his car, leaving Misty at the door, observing her childhood friend, her long time love.

"Why did he have to come now? To leave me confused, to re-open past wounds? Now that I finally was recovering and considering a relationship… Why did you have to come and ruin my peaceful live Ash Ketchum??" she thought desperately, with tearful eyes.

Misty went up and the stairs, reached her room and quickly went to her closet, withdrawing a yellow sweater and a simple pair of jeans.

"You just had to come and destabilise my life Ash… It was so hard for me to leave my best friend behind, to keep a safe distance from you, protecting my heart from more pain… Now my feelings are so screwed up, I don't even know what I feel about Gary…" Misty thought, while she put on her clothes.

She then looked herself in the mirror: a defeated, sorrow expression in her face, something that Ash could never see…

 "Stupid girl! Lighten up and stop being ridiculous… You've already gone over all of that, and you're not crying again for something you'll never have…" Misty said to herself firmly when she went down the stairs, towards the Gym doors.

So, she managed another painful smile and left the Gym, seeing Ash in his car with a thoughtful expression and a sweet look in his eyes.

"Probably thinking about May…" Misty thought miserably.

"Yes, I really missed Misty… And now I know that I'll never let her move away again… I won't let our friendship die and I won't forget all the treasured moments we've lived together…" Ash thought, while he saw Misty walking towards his car.

"Here you are! I was thinking why were you taking so long…" Ash said teasingly, right after she entered his car.

"Tell me one thing Ash: when is Valentine's Day?" Misty asked evilly.

"Tomorrow…" Ash replied suspiciously.

"And who's the only person that's patient enough to go shopping with you?" Misty continued.

"Humm… You?" Ash answered uncertain.

"That's right… So teasing me is…" she started calmly.

"Really stupid…" Ash finished, smiling.

"You're not so dense after all!" Misty laughed, faking surprise.

"I'm NOT dense at all!" Ash replied vehemently.

"Oh yes you are…" Misty answered grinning, already guessing what would come of this…

"I am not!"

"You are too"

"Am not!"

"Are too"

Ash looked at her angrily for a while, frowning slightly and being quiet for a moment. Then, a childish grin appeared in his face and he laughed willingly, observing a soft smile spreading across Misty's face.

"I'm glad I'm here with you…" Ash said honestly.

"Me too…" Misty admitted, temporarily forgetting her wounded heart.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

"So, what do you think? She'll like this one right?" Ash asked, holding a brown teddy bear with a red heart saying 'I love you'.

"God Ash! That's horrible!" Misty said, eyeing him disapprovingly.

They had finally arrived the shopping center. The trip had been great: they talked about their past adventures, and the uncomfortable atmosphere that had surround them in the beginning soon fade away. Misty's sadness was quickly pushed away by the laughter and the good memories that flooded that car… And now here they were, travelling through millions of corny, extremely pink shops, trying to find the perfect gift for May…

"Tell me: what should I buy her?" Ash asked desperately.

"Ash I hardly know May… How can I guess what's the perfect gift for her?" Misty asked annoyed.

"I don't know… What would you like to receive?" Ash asked curiously.

Misty furrowed an eyebrow, not knowing what to say.

"You would be enough Ash…" she thought to herself mournfully but said instead "I think a box of chocolates and a bouquet would be nice…"

**************************************************************************************************************************************** 

In Cerulean City Gym the phone was ringing…

"I'll get, I'll get it!" Violet said quickly, picking up the phone.

"I'm sure it's Jake asking for a date…" she thought happily.

"Hello?"

"Can I talk to Misty please?" a male voice said on the phone.

"Humm… Who is this?" Violet asked apprehensively.

"It's her boyfriend, Gary Oak…" he replied smugly.

"Her boyfriend huh? Well, I'm sorry to announce that you're 'girlfriend' went out with another guy…" Violet informed.

"WHAT?? WHAT'S HIS NAME???" Gary asked infuriated.

"Humm… Ash Ketchum I think…" Violet replied uncertain.

"WHAT????? WHERE IS SHE?? TELL ME NOW!!!" Gary demanded.

"In Cerulean City Shopping Center… Now you go there, kick the guy's ass and get off the phone…" she replied impatiently.

"YOU BET!!!" Gary yelled and hung up.

"I hope they have a good time… Because it seems I won't have!" Violet said fuming, while she went to the living room again, waiting for the damn phone to ring.

**************************************************************************************************************************************** 

"Daisies?" Ash asked, pointing at a bunch of white daisies in the flower store.

"No Ash, roses! Red roses are much more romantic…" Misty said irritated.

"Ok… And how many?" he enquired.

"Well, that depends… I personally prefer only one rose, but you better buy… I don't know, a dozen for May…" she replied, more patiently.

"Ok, a dozen roses… Got them… Now what?" Ash asked again, after he paid the florist.

" Humm… We can go to that store over there, to get the box of chocolates…" Misty replied simply.

"Good idea! I don't know what would happen to me if it weren't you Misty…" Ash thanked genuinely.

 "Yeah, yeah, I know that…" Misty said smiling.

They walked slowly, side by side, each one with his own thoughts until Misty noticed a small jeweller's shop.

"Oh it's so beautiful!" Misty said, looking at a necklace with a small heart shaped, silver medallion.

Ash leaned closer and looked at the jewel. It was indeed beautiful: simple but charming at the same time, perfect for a delicate girl, but not for May… He didn't seem to be able to tell why, but it simply wasn't right for May…

"Misty, I'm just going to buy the chocolates, wait a minute ok?" Ash asked kindly.

Misty snapped out of her trance and looked at him surprised.

"Sorry Ash, I got a bit distracted… But I'll go with you!" Misty quickly apologized.

Ash smiled and nodded in agreement. 

****************************************************************************************************************************************

After about half an hour searching, Gary finally saw his beloved red head among the hundreds of people in that damn shopping center, but, unfortunately, as he expected, she was accompanied by a brainless boy with raven, ruffled hair…

"That Ketchum is going to pay… Always trying to have what's mine: the title of champion, the attention of my grandfather and now my girlfriend… Or at least, almost-girlfriend…" he said between clenched teeth.

He went slowly towards the small shop where the pair was, and tried to calm down…

"Come on Gary, it's much better to humiliate him… You don't have to torn him into pieces… Humm…Perhaps do both…?" Gary thought wickedly.

He pushed the door abruptly and entered the store with confidence. After seeing Ash and Misty, he drew near, and restraining his anger, he simply tapped Ash's right shoulder…

****************************************************************************************************************************************

"Will this box do?" Ash asked, holding a red, heart shaped box of chocolates.

"Humm… Almost there…" Misty teased, smiling brightly and added "But I think May would prefer chocolate truffles…" Misty said, grabbing a white box, with a red bow around it.

Ash grinned and opened his mouth to speak, before someone interrupted him by tapping his shoulder. He turned around and saw the face of a very calm Gary Oak.

"Hi Gary! Long time, no see…" Ash said cheerfully.

Misty spun around swiftly when she heard his name.

"Gary???" she blurted out surprised.

"What a coincidence… I came here to buy a present for Misty and I find you two…" Gary lied  "Genius Gary, just genius…" he said to himself proudly.

 "A present for Misty?" Ash asked astonished, looking at Misty, who was blushing madly.

"Yeah… Didn't she tell you? We're dating…" Gary said with a wide smile when he saw Misty hiding her burning face in her hands, mortified.

"Oh my God…" Misty mumbled when she saw the look on Ash's face "This is so embarrassing…"

That's it, finally!

It was a looong chapter…

Anyway, I hope you liked it and review please!

_Cosmik_


	10. Dinner for three

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter Ten: "Dinner for three"

Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon…

Thank you time:

legolas liker: I'm really glad you liked this chapter too! Yes, poor Misty always being humiliated… But that's one of the things that makes the story more interesting right? Anyway, I hope you keep reviewing! ^_^

alexis: Yeah, I know, I'm really mean… But it's like you said, a cliffhanger is useful to keep the readers interested so… Well, Misty didn't kill Gary but she won't remain so calm in this chapter… ^_^ I'm still trying not to use OOC characters, but if you notice something please tell me and I'll try to fix it!

DBZGirl202: Thank you so much for review and putting me in your favorite authors list, I'm really happy! Well, I hope you like this chapter too and thank you again for the patience you had to read the whole story… ^_~

Shadow kat: Finally Ash and Misty together again (not in a romantic way… for now ^.^)! I guess that's why more people reviewed the story… Thank you for reviewing! Tell me what you think about this one!

Nozomi and Hotaru: Thank you so much! I'm really trying to improve and avoid just having dialogues between the characters… About Gary… I think you'll like this chapter too because he will definitely butt in even more… But this time Misty won't remain exactly "calm"… Just read and see! ^_^

Redroses: A new reviewer, thank you! Yeah, what most people had been expecting: a bit interaction between Misty and Ash! I don't really like May either, although I never saw the Houen series… I think Misty was a key character in the series and now May's replacing her… Oh well… If you find May or Max a bit OOC I'm sorry (oh, they won't be in this chapter yet)… ^_~

And finally, the story…

Gary had gone too far… He had, not discreetly at all, tried to show Ash that she belonged to him, when she herself didn't know to whom she indeed belong… He had no right to invade her privacy and to disturb that special moment of hers… Anger and shame filled Misty's confused heart. 

"Anger, shame and doubt…" she thought mournfully.

The utterly surprised look that momentarily swept by Ash's face made her feel even more humiliated… She felt like her deepest secrets had been discovered, like her most inner feelings had been exposed… 

Misty glanced over at Ash again. He was looking a bit uneasy, but tried to hide it with his wide smiles and cheerful words… 

"You may fool him Ash, but I know you too well for that…" she thought to herself.

Did Ash feel betrayed? She did go out with his former rival, but Misty didn't even think that this could affect him in any way… But then again, she also didn't excepted him to re-enter her life so suddenly…

"Gary, what are you REALLY doing in here?" Misty said abruptly, resentment present in her every word.

**************************************************************************************************************************************** 

"They are dating… Misty and Gary are dating…" Ash thought astonished.

He didn't know why he was so amazed; Misty was a beautiful, kind woman that certainly deserved to be happy… Well, kindness was something a bit more difficult to find in Misty… But it did exist below her dangerous mood, and anyone that knew her, found in her a precious friend, like he did...

So, why did he feel like she had somehow let him down? Why was he feeling hurt? Was it because she was dating his past opponent, Gary? Was it because she hadn't told him about it and he felt excluded? 

"Or is it simply because she IS with someone?" Ash was surprised by his own thoughts.

Yeah right, now he would say to himself that he was jealous of his best friend…Right, really funny… He had just lost his mind temporarily… Right? 

Oh well… If they were really dating, and considering Misty's silence as a proof that they were, he shouldn't be there… They would want privacy and he already knew that three is a crowd… For a while he even tried to break the awkward atmosphere with some sad jokes but he quickly realised that it wouldn't work…

And then, when he was about to apologize to Misty and leave them quietly, she interrupted him unexpectedly and wasn't exactly thrilled when she spoke…

****************************************************************************************************************************************

He had done it… He was able to show Ash that Misty was already involved in a relationship, so he could go back to Houen and leave them alone… Oh, those cherry cheeks of her said it all: she loved him all right… Yes, so he probably should have been a bit subtler, but being dense as Ketchum was, he wouldn't have get it, so it was probably better this way… Ash's disoriented and uncomfortable look gave him slight satisfaction, and more importantly, gave him the reassurance he needed…

"Feeling threatened by him… Look at you're doing to me Misty: making me ask for help to that Brock guy and now making me fear Ash Ketchum…" Gary said to himself disapprovingly, trying not to laugh.

He really liked Misty, and this time he wouldn't accept anything but the first prize… Ash had a girlfriend right? So he should go back to her and to his pokémon and live a happy, simple life away from them… When had he become so jealous and possessive? Well, since he met a certain feisty redhead…

"Fortunately, it seems that, for once, Ketchum won't get on my way…" Gary thought, smirking.

Unluckily for him, that smile quickly disappeared when Misty finally gathered enough courage to speak…

****************************************************************************************************************************************

"Gary, what are you REALLY doing in here?"

Gary looked dumbfounded and managed to say: "I've already told you, I came here to buy you a gift for St Valentine's Day…"

"Liar…" Misty replied venomously.

"Egocentric…" Gary answered, narrowing his eyes.

"That's it, I guess I better go now… Thanks for your help Misty, but I'm lea…" Ash started but Misty quickly retorted "STAY!!!", grabbing his arm furiously.

Gary looked infuriated and spat out bitterly "I can't see why Ketchum here has to stay… Doesn't he have a girlfriend to look after?"

Misty bit her lower lip, trying to keep her voice down and the vicious pain away.

"Yes he has… Something you won't get THAT soon…" she replied triumphantly.

Gary frowned deeply but quickly managed to think of a way to conquer Misty's fiery heart…

"Let's forget about this Misty… I will make up to you for that lousy first date… Will you have dinner with me?" he asked passionately.

Misty remained silent for a moment, looking at him puzzled. Should she do it? God, now he was able to persuade her so easily… When did she get so soft??

"I can't Gary, I'm here with Ash and I won't leave him alone… He asked for my help, I can't just abandon him…" Misty replied, choosing to keep her heart safe from more disturbing feelings… At least for that night…

"Coward…" she thought cynically, looking down to avoid Gary's hopeful eyes.

Gary looked at her deeply, trying to know what she was thinking but he found that impossible... In one last effort to be with her, he said recklessly:

"Ash can come with us!"                                                  

"Bad move Gary, really bad move…" he cursed himself immediately, the moment he said it.

"Oh, I don't want to bother, really… Don't worry Misty, I'll just go to the hotel in my car, and if you don't need a ride, we can meet tomorrow…" Ash said politely.

"Oh god, this is ridiculous… I'm so in the wrong place…" he thought, feeling his heart strangely heavy.

"Guilt and shame, obviously…" Ash said to himself, trying to dismiss those awkward emotions.

 Misty, on the other hand, was looking at the two men in front of her, switching her gaze from one to another, pondering what to do.

"Leave this center right away would probably be the best choice, but I can't do that…" she said to herself.

"Decline Gary's invitation… He would ask why… He would realize something's wrong and I don't want him to know how confused I am… I don't want to talk about my sorrow again… I just want to bury it and forget all about the time when I was broken…" she thought sadly.

"Ok Gary, I'll go…" she finally answered, trying to ignore the fear that was already settling in her poor heart.

"I'll be heading home then…" Ash said, smiling weakly and scratching the back of his head.

"Yes, please… I can't handle with my screwed up feelings if you're together in the same table for the whole dinner…" Misty thought desperately, her eyes at last showing her anxiety. 

Misinterpreting Misty's apprehensive eyes, Gary thought that she didn't want to be alone with him… And although it did hurt a bit to know that, he decided to take this chance and try to change her feelings towards him…

"And if that takes Ash Ketchum to be with us through the whole dinner… Than be it!" he thought confidently.

Ash looked at him uncertain, remaining quiet for a while.

"No Ash, you're going with us! I'm sure you'll love this Italian restaurant… I found it when I was searching for you… for Misty's gift I mean!" he corrected quickly.

"Please Ash, just for this time, leave me alone with him… Let me deal with my feelings… Please let me by happy… Let me just try…" Misty thought dreadfully, looking at him nervously.

Seeing Misty's pleading eyes, Ash finally made his decision. Yes he would go… She needed him, she needed his support, and he could tell that by the look in her eyes…

"All right then! Actually, I'm quite hungry… Can we go now?" he asked cheerfully.

"WHAT???" Misty screamed in her head, sending a death glare to both boys, leaving them completely bewildered.

"Don't you like Italian food?" Gary asked surprised.

"Oh, let's just go to the damn restaurant!" Misty yelled angrily.

****************************************************************************************************************************************

There it was… The place of her torture…

Misty looked at the small, chic Italian restaurant, with dismay. She had to find strengths that she didn't have to survive that night, and she had to find them fast…

Gary opened the door, letting Ash and her enter. The room was filled with marvellous, delicious scents that surrounded Misty, and some little decorated wooden tables gave the restaurant a cosy, pleasant look.

The waiter promptly approached them waiting for some sort of indication that could help him in his task.

"Table for three…" Gary replied calmly, hiding his indignation with a small smile.

"Unfortunately…" Misty said under her breath.

"What did you say?" Gary asked curiously.

"Nothing…" Misty answered, matching Gary's fake smile with one of her one.

Finally done, I hope you like it! Another looong chapter… Do you prefer shorter ones? ^.^

I think I had another review that I didn't thank in this chapter… It's because I can't view it… Yet.

Anyway, I'll put it in the next chapter ok? Thank you for your kind reviews so far… ^_^

Oh well… Sorry for this, but I had a little thing to ask you… I wrote another fic "Love is too banal" but no one review it… I don't know if I should upload a new chapter or not, so… *coughs nervously* Would you mind taking a look at it and telling me what you think? Sorry for the advertising… I'm so pathetic…   -_-  

_Cosmik_


	11. And after dinner, here comes dessert

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter Eleven: "And after dinner here comes dessert…"

Disclaimer: No, it's pretty obvious I don't own anything…

I'm so sorry for taking so long to update…. I had a small problem and I couldn't upload my files… -- Anyway, sorry again!

Thank you time:

Shadow Kat: I'm surprised you still have the patience to review… But thank you so much, and I hope you like this chapter too!

DaJollyMan: Thank you! I try to keep the story interesting and as original as I can… Now, about the pairing: you don't have to worry, I'm going to make an Ash/Misty pairing but not now… So don't worry if thy get together in this chapters, that will probably happen only in the later ones…

legolas liker: I'm happy for you and your new kitten… Anyway, I'm really glad you liked the last chapter too and sorry if I took to long to update… I started working on my other story and left this one a little behind… Well, I hope you like this chapter too!

alexis: Thank you for reviewing this story and my other too! I hope you like them both! .

Nozomi and Hotaru: I'm so glad you think I'm improving! I'm certainly trying to…   Let's see how this chapter goes… Thank you for reviewing my other story too!

And now, the story…

"Oh God… I still can't believe I've accepted this…"

Misty looked again at the two men in front of her. Could anything be less romantic than this? Hardly… Ash was almost tearing his napkin apart, not being really successful in his attempt to hide his anxiety… Gary, on the other hand, was grabbing his glass a "bit" too tightly, obviously not being able to restrain his anger…  While Ash was doing his best not look at Gary or Misty, Gary couldn't care less about that… He was glaring Ash dangerously, his eyes burning with fury, but his mouth remaining slightly curved by a forced smile… First the annoying silence… Then, the most trivial conversations that Ash started and Gary was forced to continue in a civil manner… And finally the tension was starting to flood the small restaurant, although she was probably one of the few that noticed that… She, Ash and Gary of course…

"Well, maybe Ash is still oblivious to that, as to so many things in the past… Oh well…" Misty thought bitterly.

But she decided to remain quiet during the whole meal, only interrupting her thoughts to look at _them_… Which one? Stupid confusing feelings! She was just sick of suffering, sick of not knowing what to do, _who_ to choose… She should just leave the charming, but also dreadful restaurant… But not before giving them a special, felt present: an heavy slap in their cheeks…

"So, how's your pizza Ash?" Gary asked, smiling wider, but almost asphyxiating his poor glass…

That deceitful bastard… That stupid smile of him was driving him mad… And to think that first he was feeling guilty for being there… Now Ash was just grateful! What would happen to Misty if he weren't there? What a good friend he was… Saving her from that jerk required a lot of patience, but she was his best friend and he would never let her go out with that moron again! Jealously? No! He was just protecting her, trying to make sure she would be happy… Right…? Of course he was! He had a girlfriend after all! He had May and he loved her… Or didn't he? Yes, he had to love her! He just had too much wine… But even so, he was sure that Gary wasn't the right guy for Misty, he would only make her suffer… Perhaps _he_ was the right guy? Oh God… Yep, the wine was definitely clouding his thoughts… What had Gary asked him? Oh yes…

"The key is to remain calm…" Ash thought to himself, although finding a bit difficult to do that…

"Really good… And how about your spaghetti?" Ash replied politely, looking away from Gary's threatening glare.

"Perfect, just perfect…" he answered, narrowing his eyes.

Stupid Ketchum! Always politely correct… Or maybe, and more probably, just plain dense… Didn't he know the concept of privacy? Or the concept of romance?? How could Ketchum possibly think that Misty would apologize him if he stood right in the middle of them?? Oh, how he would love to strangle that brainless brat… But, unfortunately, he was sure Misty wouldn't approve that… And his goal was to conquer her heart… So, he had to remain calm… Or at least, try to avoid getting completely berserk… Which would be quite difficult, considering that he was almost sure Ash thought of Misty as more than just his "best friend"… And again, the urge to kill Ash in the most painful ways he could imagine came to him… Stronger than ever…

Misty looked at her cold, almost intact lasagne and frowned… Her strengths were fading quickly… Along with her patience… Men were so ridiculous… Why was Gary acting like a jerk during the whole dinner? Well, he was a bit of a jerk every day… And yes he was jealous… Ok, he had reasons to be jealous… No he hadn't! She didn't have any sort of commitment with him! And she was tired of being treated like an object! And why did Ash come? Yes he was dense… Really dense, but didn't he understand that she needed time alone with Gary? God, they were dating! Even _him _should have some sort of common sense that told him to stay away…

"So, tell me, how's your training going? Have you finally got your little rodent to stop electrocute you?" Gary asked smugly.

Misty switched her gaze to her two "dates" again… Why was she suddenly feeling that that stupid dinner wasn't going to end well? Maybe it was because she saw that Ash's napkin finally gave up struggling with his fingers and laid still in the table… Maybe because she saw that Gary's glass was also released in that exact moment… Maybe it had something to do with the wrath that was quickly showing its way in Ash's eyes… And maybe, Gary's fading arrogant smile had helped a bit… Or was it just the simple fact that the two young men got up and were glaring at each other menacingly?

"Don't you dare to talk that way about one of my best friends!" Ash warned between clenched teeth.

"And don't _you_ dare to talk with _me_ that way!" Gary replied, his voice rising threateningly.

Oh boy…

The nerve of that pathetic excuse of a human being… Arrogant bastard!!! Who was _he_ to talk about Pikachu that way?? He was lucky his partner was with Brock in their hotel, or else we would already be fried… But then again, he didn't need Pikachu to kick his ass… All the calmness, more exactly uneasiness, that he was feeling before, was now a burning rage that led him closer to the edge… Offending his pokémon, always looking at Ash like he was nothing… And most of all, trying to be Misty's boyfriend! She deserved so much better! He wouldn't allow that _thing_ to date her! And he wouldn't allow Gary to make fun of him… This wasn't going to end well… For Gary…

That was it! Ketchum was going down… In the worst ways he could imagine! Who was that _brat_ to talk to him like that?? First, he had interrupted his romantic dinner, and then, instead of remaining humbly quiet, he had to open his big mouth to babble and babble… Misty has stayed mysteriously silent, something that was definitely new to him, and couldn't bring anything good… And all because of Ketchum of course! If Gary were there with _just_ Misty, it would be all right… He would've already kissed her, certainly! But no… Because of _him_, Gary was eating some deliciously cooked spaghetti, that to him, didn't taste good at all… At least it didn't taste like those pink, silky lips… Or what he thought they tasted, because he wasn't _that_ lucky… For now… And now, she was looking at her lasagne, not at him, and he had to be _happy_ to just have spaghetti to eat… "Ketchum, this isn't going to end well for you…"

Everyone in the room was looking at their table… Fortunately, the restaurant was small, so there weren't _that_ many people there… But even so, it was quite uncomfortable…

Whispers dripping from all around, followed by moments of curious silence, everyone waiting for the fight to start…

But Misty wouldn't let that happen… Yes, she had been humiliated enough for a life time, and wasn't certainly planning to feel, once again, mortified…

She looked at the two boys and heat started spreading across her face… Two guys, fighting for her heart… So romantic…

"It's just a shame that one of them has a girlfriend…" she thought bitterly.

It was more just some long time rivalry that never ended… And even though one of them was moved by jealously, it wasn't the one she wanted to…

Oh well, she couldn't have it all…

"Come on guys, that's enough…" Misty said in a low tone, hoping that would end their childish behaviour…

Which didn't happen, obviously…

"Let's end it, right here, right now… I'm sick of you following _my_ girl and pretending you don't love her…" Gary said in a whisper, waving his fists slightly, preparing for the fight.

"And I'm sick of _you_ following her, so back off, NOW!" Ash snapped, ending in a loud, dangerous tone, surprising even himself, by not denying what Gary said, and the implications it meant…

Fortunately for Ash, Misty didn't hear him, only the last warning word that made her get up harshly to stop the ridiculous scene she was witnessing. But then again, he wasn't _that_ fortunate, and Gary did hear him…

"PRAY QUICK, BRAT!!!" Gary yelled before punching Ash right in his face.

"COWARD!!!" Ash replied, drawing his fist near Gary's nose.

"STOP IT, NOW!!!" Misty shrieked anxiously, trying to torn them apart, but ending up backing away cautiously.

The waiters watched in awe as the two young men continued to inflict damage in one another, as while as in the tables near them… Misty pleaded and pleaded for them to stop, but it seemed that they couldn't hear her…

And seconds passed… Minutes passed… The strange, lingering silence was only interrupted by some crashing sounds that made Misty close her eyes in fear and concern…

"STOP THAT! PLEASE, STOP THAT!!!" but they wouldn't stop…

She was so tired of everything… Of feeling pain ripping her heart when she heard someone talk about love, when she watched some romantic, silly, movie… When she heard _him_ talk about _her_… It was time… It was time to stop that, time to make a decision… It was time to grow…

"STOP THAT ASH!!!! I LOVE GARY!!!"

The two boys stopped immediately, one of them with a frown in his face, another smiling through the blood drops…

Misty looked away from them, ashamed once again… It had been the right decision, she knew that, but it still hurt beyond reason…

"Is that…true?" Gary asked uncertain, while Ash waited silently for her answer.

Misty looked at one of the waiters beside her. He was looking at her attentively, impatiently, like everyone else in that damned restaurant… But it was in his tray she was interested about…  An interesting glass vessel that seemed quite appealing…

"This is for humiliating me again, for leaving me utterly confused every time I see you two and for hurting me without knowing it…" Misty thought.

She grabbed the glass vessel quickly and before they even had time to think, she dropped all of the water it had, right at Ash and Gary…

"JERKS!!!" Misty yelled before storming out.

Again, silence…

Within the restaurant, in a small, discreet corner, someone whispered excitedly: "See, I told you she loved him!"

Ash just slumped in the puddle of water in the ground while Gary snorted…

What a great night…

Finally done!

I hope you all liked it!

Please review and sorry if I took long…

_Cosmik_


	12. My sweet valentine

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter twelve: "My sweet valentine"

Disclaimer: And again I say: I don't own pokémon…

Thank you time:

DaJollyMan: I'm glad you find this interesting! I just want to reassure you all that this story is an AAML, but I just want to make you wait a bit more… I can't just put them together like that, it would be too easy… And I'll show another side of Gary that you don't know (let's just consider that he matured over the years ok…?)… Maybe you'll even like him more… Anyway, I hope you like this chapter too and thank you for reviewing!

anoniemus: Don't worry, like I already said, this will be an AAML, but you'll have to wait a bit longer… Now we just have this sort of love triangle and lots of confused feelings… Anyway, I hope you kike this chapter too!

legolas liker: Thank you for reviewing again! I'm really glad you liked this chapter too, I'm trying to make them entertaining… Anyway, keep reviewing!

Smiley: Well, here it is, the update you wanted so badly… I hope you won't be disappointed! Thanks for reviewing!

Nozomi and Hotaru: Thank you so much! I had been planning this scene for a long time… I'm glad you liked it! I know, so many emotions… I showed the whole meal from their different point of views and I guessed that made the chapter even more "intense"… Sorry for the typos, I hope this one doesn't have any mistakes… I know I ruined everything between Ash and Misty (for now, don't worry!), but finally some of his confused (a word that will appear a lot in this chapters) feelings are already showing! I don't want to put them together just like that! This will be a gradual process, to make some sense… Anyway, I hope you like this one too!

alexis: I know everyone (or almost everyone) was expecting some sort of declaration, or at least something a bit more romantic between Ash and Misty and I'm sorry to disappoint you… I did give some hints, but the real relationship will take a while… At least the action is finally approaching, but it will take a few more chapters though. I hope you like this chapter too!

Liako: Oh, what can I say? Here you have! I hope you like this chapter and keep reviewing!

jade destiny: Well, I'm glad you like this chapter! About what you said… It would be a good alternative speech, but Misty did that a bit recklessly, trying to get rid of some of her problems and didn't think about her actions well… And, most of all, I want to pair her with Gary for a while, before the final chapters (it will help a bit in the action too…). I already thought of some scenes between them and Ash, so I guess I just had to write that… I think you won't be disappointed though (or at least I hope so!) and will prefer having Misty with Gary than having her alone… Keep reviewing!

* * *

The story…

"God, my head hurts…"

Misty covered her face with the blankets and turned to scream in her pillow.

Her life sucked.

Being completely in love with her best friend, knowing she couldn't have him, and at the same feel attracted to his former rival, was more than she could take…

Then, having to finally give up a fantasy she held for so long, finally realise that she would never date Ash and that he would never return her love for him, left her completely crushed…

And what was the best way to run from her problems, to forget the pain she was feeling?

Drink. And drink a lot…

Fortunately for her, the mall was right in the centre of Cerulean City, so she didn't have many difficulties in finding a pub where she could drink and, hopefully, put her chaotic love life out of her mind…

Everyone seemed to ignore her and it was just what she needed, some privacy and peace… And alcohol of course…

After her third drink, things became kind of fuzzy and Misty had some difficulties remembering what happened… She had the vague impression that someone helped her in the bar, kept her company and listened her babble endlessly, but she couldn't recall _who_ exactly… She did know that it wasn't a stranger; it was someone close to her… And it was that same person that helped get in a taxi safely and never let her alone, accompanying her to the Gym…

"Was it Gary??" she asked herself nervously, hiding her face once more, but this time because of her burning embarrassment.

Anyway, when Misty returned home, she was completely drunk, crying and laughing, yelling and sobbing, all at the same time. Her heart was aching badly and she refused to remember the damned restaurant and the damned causes of her pain and agony: those stupid boys and the choices she had made…

But now it was finally over…

No more foolish dreams, no more silly thoughts, no more naïve words full of ridiculous hope written in her diary… It ended right there, her childhood and her first love…

She finally grew.

Fortunately, for once, her sisters understood her suffering and said nothing to her, leaving Misty alone in her room and letting her cry all her sadness and problems.

And even though she was feeling broken and completely exhausted, she wasn't able to fall asleep and let her poor heart rest. Instead, Misty spent a horrible night, turning endlessly in her bed, trying with all her might to find the peace she needed so desperately.

Some timid sunbeams glanced through her old, blue drapes, inviting her to enjoy the warm day that was settling in.

Misty held the pillow tighter, closing her eyes firmly to hide from the irksome light and the life that went on outside her bedroom.

"I need to sleep…"

The sound of a door being shut abruptly made her grit her teeth and scream once again in frustration.

Didn't anyone understand that she was feeling miserable?

After a few minutes trying to decide whether to scream until she felt better or rip her pillow apart and then scream some more, Misty chose to get up and start to work, in an attempt to forget what happened at _the_ dinner…

And so, with an extremely large amount of courage and effort, she pushed the blankets aside and moved agonizingly slowly, frowning with every little move and the soreness that came with it.

Immediately after exiting her room, Misty noticed something really strange in the Gym, something that wasn't there for the last few days and she found quite comforting right then, but nonetheless awkward… It was mysteriously silent… Too silent even, considering that her sisters were there… Right?

No, wrong…

_"Misty we went out shopping and visiting some friends. We all thought you could use the time to cool down, sort your feelings out (and hopefully cure that hangover). Don't feel embarrassed by all the things you did last night, we all been there (drunk) and don't blame you… See you later sis!"_

Hmm…

'All the things you did last night'?

"I think I better drown in the pool…" Misty thought mortified, feeling her cheeks burning, afraid to learn about her past actions and find the consequences of her decisions…

But what could she do right then?

Nothing… She should just eat something and get to work, because the trainers wouldn't wait long…

Even so, she felt something bothering her… It weren't her past antics, she knew that, but it was something just as dangerous as that…

What could it be?

* * *

"St Valentine's Day finally!" Gary thought happily while grabbing his coat.

Yes, so the dinner didn't end like he had expected, but it wasn't _that_ bad either… Misty confessed that she loved him and now they were certainly a boyfriend and girlfriend right?

"About time anyway…" he said in a low tone, searching for Misty's gift under the pile of clothes in his sofa.

So, the plan was visit her in the Gym, give her the chocolates and the flowers he bought, beat her and win the badge. Then, he would have to comfort Misty and her poor ego, so he would take her out to dinner in a fancy restaurant and kiss her… And again… And again if possible…

"Got it!" Gary said after grabbing the small heart shaped box and the bouquet he had on the table.

Now that Ash knew that she didn't love him he would certainly go back to his girlfriend and leave Misty to him… They would be able to finally start a real relationship and things would get better… Or at least he hoped so…

"Now let's see… Where are the car keys??"

* * *

Well, things were kind of calm in the Gym…

"Strange… Usually Wednesday is a busy day…" Misty said, sitting near the pool, looking at her pokémon.

The sound of someone knocking in the door caught her attention, making her turn and see…

"Ash…?"

"Hmm… Hi… Are you…better?" he asked nervously, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Better? What does he mean by that? He didn't see me… Drunk, right?" Misty thought, looking at him confused, hoping she wasn't right.

Ash looked at her and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it quickly.

"She probably doesn't remember I followed her to the pub… Better remain that way…" he thought sadly.

"I mean, if you're a bit calmer… I'm afraid you might attack me with a bucket filled with water or something…" he said smiling softly.

"Oh, that…" Misty mumbled, blushing slightly and looking at the ground.

"Don't worry, I needed the bath… And it was good to cool off…" Ash added, still smiling.

Just then Misty noticed that his left eye was slightly swollen and a bit dark…

"God, your eye!" she said worried, running to help him.

"It's ok, really… Ouch!" he said when she touched his face carefully.

"Oh Ash, why did you do that? It was stupid!" she lectured him, caressing his cheek gently.

"Because of you…" he thought but replied "I know it was… But you know what they say, 'old rivalries never die'…"

"They say that?" Misty asked smiling.

"I don't know… But they should, it's true!" Ash answered, laughing faintly.

They looked into each other's eyes for a few instants but Misty interrupted the special moment abruptly…

"Misty, remember, you love Gary… And Ash loves May…" she thought to herself bitterly…

"Hmm… Yeah… So… Did May like the present?"

"Oh… Yes, she said she loved it… Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it…" Ash replied, feeling a bit apprehensive.

"You're welcome… Everything to help you two…" Misty lied, adding a fake, painful smile.

Silence and uneasiness filled the Gym while they glanced around, trying to look casual and carefree, but failing miserably.

It was then that the Gym doors opened harshly and Gary entered…

"Hi Misty! Happy Valentine's day baby!" he yelled, bursting through and saving them from the painful atmosphere lingering in the air.

Misty and Ash looked at him surprised, blushing deeply under the burning gaze that he was now showing them.

"Ketchum, what are you doing here???" he yelled outrageous.

"I came to see if Misty was ok…" Ash replied calmly, or at least he tried to…

"Come on guys, not again…" Misty pleaded nervously.

"She already said she loved _me_ Ketchum, isn't that enough to get you out of my way?" Gary growled furious.

"I'm her friend Gary, I won't back off so I think you should calm down… _Now_…" Ash warned in a low tone.

"STOP THAT! YOU'RE NOT FIGHTING IN MY GYM SO COOL OFF!!!"

Everyone stopped and Misty sighed with relief. She wasn't ready for this now…

"For you only Misty, it's because I love you that I'll ignore this brat and let him live one more day…" Gary said, glancing towards Ash discreetly.

"Yeah, yeah Gary, what do you want?" Misty replied harshly.

"First, give you your Valentine present…" he answered, handing her the bouquet and the chocolate box.

"Oh, so that's why the Gym is empty, it's St Valentine's Day… And that's why I had that bad feeling…" Misty thought out loud.

"What Misty?" Gary asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Nothing… And secondly…?" Misty replied snorting.

"Well, I want to battle you again to win the badge… And I'm sorry to inform you that although you love me, I won't pity you in battle…" Gary said smugly.

"Oh thank you Gary, and I was starting to worry that I'd have to win you… Again…" Misty answered sarcastically, unable to stop a few chuckles.

Gary coiled his swollen lips with untamed rage and used all his strength to ignore Ash's smiley face… But it didn't help…

Ash burst into laughing when he noticed Gary's enormous lips…

"At least that will teach him not to fight me…" he thought between chuckles.

Gary looked at the two laughing persons in front of him and tried to control his fury… But he couldn't do it… Ketchum was going to pay…

"Oh, and I suppose your eye looks much better?? You look like a racoon!" he yelled angrily.

Ash stopped laughing and eyed him dangerously.

"Do you want to settle this outside? We can finish what we started yesterday…" he said seriously.

"Yeah, I guess that's a good idea… Probably the only one you had for at least ten years…" Gary replied, glaring him feverishly.

Misty closed her eyes, trying to calm down… But she was unable to do it while hearing those stupid boys arguing again…

"Oh, they'll stop…" she thought while she grabbed a pokéball from her belt.

"Go Starmie! Use Watergun NOW!!!"

And then again silence…

Misty walked away from the puddle calmly to the kitchen, to grab a cup of coffee.

"And if you do want to battle me, start behaving like a normal human being… Same to you Ash…" she warned before disappearing from their sight.

"Your fault Ketchum…" Gary said glaring him.

"Stupid bastard…" Ash said, already sulking and decided to ignore him.

"STOP THAT!!!!" Misty yelled from the kitchen, making them shiver with fear.

"Better do as she says…" Ash said quickly, helping Gary getting up and searching for a towel to clean the mess they were.

"I have bucket…" Gary said nervously, ready to help Ash.

Misty peeked from the kitchen door and sighed exasperated.

"I hate guys…"

* * *

Ok, finally done!

Sorry if I took too long to update…

I hope you won't find the chapter too long…

Well, review please!!

Cosmik


	13. Tangled tales

Leaving your heart behind

Chapter thirteen: "Tangled tales"

Disclaimer: I don't own pokémon…

God, I'm getting angry with myself, this story seems to be stuck in the same place! I better start working and move to the actual action, because this is supposed to have adventure… Anyway, sorry for taking so long to update…

* * *

Thank you time:

Isis-Ishtar123: Yeah, that's right, a love triangle to make things a bit more interesting… And don't worry, this fic won't be an Ash/May because I don't like her… I've always supported Ash/Misty pairings… Keep reviewing please, I'm glad you liked it!

alexis: Hi! Well, I never knew that Misty drunk alcohol too… Until this chapter! Now, what did she say at the pub… That's for me to reveal in the next chapters… For now you just have to guess!

SM together: Thank you for reviewing! Well, here you have the new chapter, I hope you like it and review again!

Duplica: Thanks! I'm glad you like the story!

* * *

The story…

It had already passed a few minutes since Misty entered the kitchen, when she peered through the door again. Ash and Gary were cleaning the Gym floor silently, trying their best to leave their rivalry behind and act like two normal human beings.

Misty sighed again. Why did men have to be so dense?

She returned to the table where she had put the presents Gary brought her. It was sweet of him to care, even if they weren't _really_ dating… No one ever did that for her, and it felt good. At least it proved that he could be nice when he tried…

"But he has to try really hard…" she said with a small chuckle.

Anyway, she still hadn't figured out who brought her home the night before… It wasn't Gary, or else he would have said something… He would certainly tease her or brag, so it couldn't be him… It couldn't be Ash either, because he would be too shocked to visit her after what she told at the pub…

She was sure she had told everything about her old childhood crush to the person who was with her… She babbled and babbled, cried and screamed with frustration… And it would be extremely embarrassing to discover that Ash had found out about her feelings… And, worst of all, that he had found out everything through a drunken Misty…

"Naaah, that didn't happen…" she thought to herself.

But who could have been then? She couldn't remember anyone she knew who would be at a pub that late at night… Maybe she had returned all by herself… That was it! She had returned alone! And the humiliating show she gave was certainly observed by only the barman… Ok, that wasn't _exactly_ good, but it was obviously better than revealing her most inner feelings to someone she knew… At least some stranger guarded safely everything she told… Because he didn't hear her, surely…

Well, the best thing she could do then, was forget that horrible night and move on… And that's what she was going to do.

"Time to face them and defeat Gary again…" she thought with a small smile.

Misty left the kitchen quietly and approached the two boys.

"Hey guys…"

* * *

While Ash was drying the floor, his mind wondered to the previous night, when he found Misty at the pub…

Flashback

Immediately after Misty left the restaurant, Ash understood that she was too disturbed to think straight and quickly left to follow her. He knew that she would probably do something stupid and intended to stop her… Besides, he had to take her home; he couldn't let her go to the gym alone, it would be dangerous…

But where would he find her? He stopped by the few shops Misty showed some interest in, but all of them were closed, much like the rest of the shopping mall… And when he had finally given up the hope to find her, when he left the mall and started walking in the streets of Cerulean City to calm down a bit and try to forget his guilty conscience, he passed by a pub and there she was… Yes, it was Misty: her unmistakable red hair stood out from the rest of the people inside the bar, although her attitude was easily mistaken by someone… Drunk?

Ash entered the pub planning to get her out of there as quickly as possible.

"Misty… Misty!" he had yelled, pushing is way through the huge crowd filling the small bar.

Misty hadn't even looked. She just kept drinking, and drinking, mumbling numerous words to the barman, who remained nodding in response, although he wasn't listening to her.

Ash finally reached Misty, and sat down in a bench beside her.

"Misty, what are you doing to yourself…? Come on, I'll take you home…" he said in a low tone, touching her shoulder in a reassuring manner.

"I don't want to!!! Leave me alone!!!" she spat out, pushing him harshly, and grabbing another drink fiercely.

"Stop Misty, you're just making a fool of yourself!!!" Ash replied angrily, trying to take the glass of her hands.

She looked at him for a few seconds, her eyes shimmering with resentment and pain.

"I don't care if I look like a fool!!! This can't get any worse!!!" she paused for a few moments, taking a deep breath and clenching her glass tightly "I've always liked _him_, since I was a child, and I never told him… Because he liked _her_, not _me_ who had been always by his side for so long… Noooo, he loved her, and I had to hide my feelings and forget them for years… To have them bursting through again and ruin my peace!!!! I don't deserve this, and I'm just tired of suffering!!!" Misty yelled furiously, letting a few desperate tears fall.

Ash blinked a few times confused.

"What are you talking about Misty, you're not making any sense!" he replied, looking at her puzzled.

"I feel so weary…" she muttered, abandoning her glass and hugging Ash deeply, finally giving up and letting all her tears fall loosely.

"Misty…?" Ash gasped amazed, watching her completely bewildered.

Silenced hovered between the two friends, only interrupted by a few soft moans coming from Misty.

"I'll take care of you, don't worry…" Ash whispered gently, stroking her hair soothingly, and slowly guiding her out of the bar.

They entered his car, and now word was pronounced after that.

End of flashback

Ash peered over his shoulder, after feeling strangely observed, and ended up looking at Gary for a few moments.

"Was Misty talking about him?" he asked himself, turning his gaze to the kitchen door.

"No, it doesn't make sense… They almost didn't talk until now, it can't be… So, who can it be?" he thought worriedly, as Misty entered the room.

"Hey guys…"

* * *

Gary exhaled once more, as he swept the floor with a towel.

Something was wrong and he could feel it… He just didn't know _what_ exactly…

Ash and Misty were behaving strangely, that was obvious, but he wanted to know _why_ they were doing it… Perhaps something had happened the previous night?

He had noticed that Ash left rather quickly after Misty stormed off the restaurant… But only now he began to understand why he did it.

_He went after Misty_.

It was so clear, why hadn't he seen before…? Ash probably went to comfort her, and then _something_ happened…

_Ketchum was dead._

Gary looked at Ash furiously, clenching his fists firmly, but remaining silent.

It was better not to rush things… First, he would talk to Misty… And then, when everything and they already left the gym, he could punch Ash with all his strength.

_Only then_.

Anyway, he still had to beat Misty to face the next Gym Leaders, if he still wanted to have time to train a bit more before he challenged the Elite four…

So he better take it easy and stay calm for a while because getting in a fight with Ketchum and infuriating Misty again didn't certainly served his purposes.

It was right then that he heard a soft, timid voice coming from the kitchen, and he turned just in time to see her enter the room.

"Hey guys…"

* * *

"Are you calmer now?" Gary asked with a small smile, trying not to sound too sly.

"Yes, I'm much better now…" Misty replied, frowning slightly but adding delicately "Oh, I forgot to say thank you Gary… The presents were really nice… _You_ were very nice…"

Gary grinned wider and looked discreetly at Ash before answering:

"You're welcome Misty… Everything for the girl I _love_…" stressing the word 'love' significantly.

Misty blushed a little and tried her best not to look at Ash before she said:

"Yeah… So, I came to tell you that I accept your challenge… Each one of us will use one pokémon… Is that ok with you?"

"Sure, it's just fine… After the battle I'll take you out for dinner, to console your poor ego… Is that ok with _you_?" Gary asked with a sneaky smile, watching as Ash stiffened.

Misty ignored is comment and glared him angrily.

"Let's go ok??"

"Sure… Ladies first…" he replied, bowing slightly.

"Oh, and Gary… Don't be so confident, because you lost before, and you will lose again…" Misty added, smiling diplomatically.

"Let's see about that…" he answered, as he thought to himself "This time, I'll do anything to win, so be careful…"

From his place near the arena, Ash remained strangely quiet.

Finally done!

I'm sorry, the battle will be on the next chapter, and hopefully things will get more interesting after that…

I hope you liked this chapter and please review!

_Cosmik_


End file.
